Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch
by MatrixExplosion
Summary: There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.
1. Death's Embrace

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** Matrix_Explosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 7,407

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** February 03, 2008

**Date Revised:**March 20, 2010

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Well, here it is, the revised version of chapter the first. After I went back and re-read it, I realized how much I truly sucked when I first started.

In any case, I would advise everyone to re-read this; _**many**_ things have been added, not to mention the word count skyrocketing, so without further adieu, here it is:

Chapter 01…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 01 - Death's Embrace**

The world was wrapped in fog.

It rolled along the surface of the bridge like a poisonous miasma, thick, heavy, laden with frigid chakra, seeking to suffocate the two boys that stood within the dome of crystalline mirrors, two figures within the veil of mist, haggard, panting with exhaustion, their frames wracked with tremors.

The world was dead around them, and the first, a pale skinned boy with obsidian hair glanced down at the slowly congealing puddles of blood beneath his feet.

"We need to get out of here dobe." Piercing red eyes, the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan danced across the expanse of mist, the smallest flickers of motion visible to his orbs, "Got any plans?"

The second, a sun-kissed blonde with brilliant sapphire eyes stood beside him, his once vibrant hair matted with sweat and grime. A grin played across his whiskered cheeks, unnaturally sharp incisors flashing in the dull light.

"Don't I always?" Naruto smirked, hands coming together in a cross-shaped seal before chakra swirled through his coils, a dozen clones exploding into existence around them.

They flung themselves towards the mirrors of ice as one, running towards the gaps in between, the air cold air feeling like lead against their skin. But they had to make it, had to-

A rain of senbon fell from the sky and the clones vanished, only clouds of smoke left behind to mark their existence before those too disappeared.

Naruto looked up, face twisted into an expression of surprise as he focused through the mist, his eyes taking in the needles whizzing towards him with sudden, _ironic_ clarity. Unlike Sasuke, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the instruments of death, nor did he have a bloodline limit to help him.

And all of a sudden he couldn't breathe.

He was going to die.

He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He was only _twelve_ for Kami's sake. He may not have been the smartest of genin in his class, but he knew damn well that twelve years was not long enough.

But the needles screaming towards him didn't care, couldn't care, and the most he could do was close his eyes in the face of the coming darkness, a small sort of comfort that he wouldn't have to see the faces of his precious people rising within his chest.

A moment later and a drop of liquid, warm and tepid landed on his nose, a sharp contrast to the cold wind biting into his skin and the blonde jinchuuriki opened his eyes at the lack of pain, eyes widening at the sight.

Sasuke stood above him, tall and imposing, a dark knight against the elements, arms flung to the side and riddled with senbon.

"S… Sasuke?" Naruto blinked slowly, tears itching at the inside of his eyelids as a lump grew in his throat, suffocating him with grief even as the Uchiha bared his teeth in wretched amusement, "W-What did you do?"

A grin danced across Sasuke's lips as he swayed, looking up into the mirror above them, unreflective, just like his clouded eyes, "Somebody had to save your ass." Before the strength fled his legs and he collapsed into Naruto's arms.

The blonde bent closer, curling around the pale form -so icy and clammy-, futilely trying to protect it from the cold, "Come on bastard, you…you can't die." He couldn't even recognize his own voice anymore, strangled and terrible.

Sasuke's eyelids fluttered drunkenly, the barest hints of scarlet visible, "I want you to promise me something Naruto…" the jinchuuriki leaned in closer, ears twitching, "Promise me that you won't die here."

"I…" Naruto swallowed the sob threatening to tear through his throat, blinking away the unshed tears, "I promise… Just _please_…" He felt his voice breaking -much like the boy lying in his arms- as a strangled sob wormed itself free, "_Please _don't die."

Wry amusement flashed within dull crimson as Sasuke raised his head, looking at the blue, blue sky above, almost mocking him with its cheeriness, "Sorry dobe." He said, his words slurred with blood, "Can't do that." Sasuke's eyelids drifted shut, chest fell, and the last of his breath trailed away into nothingness that rung with finality.

He did not open his eyes again.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto stared at the body below him, his gaze vacant. This… This couldn't be happening; Sasuke couldn't die, he was an Uchiha, the Rookie of the Year for _fuck's _sake. There was no way he could lose to some no name ninja. But try as he might, he couldn't ignore the signs.

The once pale skin was becoming ashen, withered, spidery blue veins running below the surface like diseased tributaries. Sasuke's flesh was cold, so cold against his palms, the glacial wind seeping the warmth right from his bones, leaving him a thin husk of his former self.

Sadness resounded through his souls even as guilt buried itself into his spine with black, serrated claws, claws that sung with the unanswered 'what ifs'. What if he had been faster, would Sasuke still be alive? What if he had been stronger, would he have been able to break the mirrors?

But just like Sasuke, the answers to those 'what ifs' would remain silent for eternity.

"Do not sully his memory with your guilt." Their masked opponent appeared before them, the mirror glinting dangerously but Naruto ignored him, to enrapt within his guilt to care, "He knowingly protected you despite the consequences, he was a shinobi that deserved respect, not your misplaced guilt."

Seeing the orange-clad boy ignore him, he pressed onwards. "Is this the first time you have seen a precious person die? This is the way of ninj-"

He was cut off as a palpable wave of chakra exploded off of the boy, the ground cracking, caving from the pressure. The ice mirrors surrounding them shook, rattled, cracked from the power, water falling down their lengths in thin sheets.

"Shut…_**up**_**…**" A guttural groan escaped through parted lips as blood red chakra flamed across his skin, leaking from his pores in wisps of crimson. He felt the seal, the work of the Yondaime sear his flesh, hotter than any forge, his brain screaming from the pain.

Power, ancient and overwhelming surged through the air, tearing the ground around the daemonic boy in a cyclonic whirlwind and Haku raised his arms, shielding his eyes from the onslaught, _'This… This isn't the same boy from before, that's for sure.'_

He had to end this, before the strange boy could regain control of his wicked power.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hatake Kakashi paused mid-step, eyes widening as he felt the wave of chakra wash over him.

His skin tingled from the absolute malevolence, the _complete _and utter loathing for humanity within. Primal instincts buried beneath decades of shinobi training rose to the surface, screaming at him to run, to run and never look back at the demon that was coming.

But he wasn't an elite jounin for nothing and naught but a moment later were those feelings smothered, his thoughts rampant, _'The seal__… Did it break?_ A wave of dread shot through him at that before a flicker of something caught his eyes.

His red Sharingan whirled slowly within its socket, piercing through the mist, saw the wisps of blue, wavering and weak, battling against the storm of blood red, _'No, it hasn't… Either way, I need to finish this.'_

Across the bridge, Momochi Zabuza stood frozen, beads of cold sweat trailing down his brow, _'What__… What is this chakra!? _It slithered across his exposed flesh like molten lead, the heat beating against his bandaged face and he could only image how Haku felt, _'Could it be… No, it's not Kakashi; it has to be one of his brats.'_

And despite his knowledge of Haku's skill, despite his complete and utter belief in the boy's bloodline limit, he couldn't help of eel of despair that wormed through his being.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto groaned, a terrible wail that echoed through the air as he crouched, the scarlet chakra thickening. Gleaming claws -weapons that could rend a human in two- burst forth from his finger tips, blacker than night, his jaw creaking in protest as incisors grew, filed to a razor point.

Haku watched all of this and more from his mirrors, arms hung limply at his sides. The way the chakra moved, slithering across the ground, leaving steam in its wake to the way the once pristine mane of yellow hair bristled, so much like an enraged animal.

It was like staring at one of the demons of old, all powerful, all knowing.

The red energy spiked -feeling of rage and hatred and loathing- and Naruto raised his eyes, the once azure seas changing, morphing until all that remained was twin pools of spilt blood.

It was all he could do not to curse as they turned towards him, glaring, "**You****…**" Naruto crouched, muscles taut as energy rippled through them, hungrily lapped up,**I'll rip you apart!**"

And then he was flying through the air, a red and orange blur of killing intent and power.

Ragged claws tore through the mirror in front of him with a sound of breaking glass and Haku leapt, senbon flying from deft fingers only to have the enraged jinchuuriki turn, roaring, the needles melting, vaporising into gouts of blistering steam.

Naruto growled in frustration, human thought buried beneath instinct as the Hyouton wielder appeared once again, a copy in each mirror. A barrage of ice -larger than the senbon- flew into existence, surrounding him from all sides and he unleashed his power, more and more of that sweet, sweet energy bubbling to the surface.

The shards hung in midair, halting, cracking, shattering from the chakra released and Naruto grinned at the fear he smelt, that is, before a glimmer of movement caught his poisonous eyes.

Swivelling his head, slit pupils took in the sight of the dead lying beside him, clothing fluttering in the tumultuous winds of his power. Blinking confusedly, Naruto cocked his head to the side -so much like the fox inside him- as vague images flashed through his mind, images of times spent together, of spars and meetings.

Was he supposed to know the boy? On second thought, why did he care? His eyes shuddered between red and blue, the animalistic, _frantic _glint disappearing, replaced with bewilderment as Naruto raised his arms, grasping his pounding head, sharp claws cutting into flesh. Nothing made sense anymore; his thoughts were so muddled he could barely think!

And then came the memories.

Memories of a small boy sitting on the pier, his back turned to him, the insignia of the Uchiha clan proudly displayed on his shirt and a soft smile on his lips.

Was that the boy beside him? It was sort of coming back to him now. That was the first time anyone his age had acknowledged him, smiled at him without those sad, sad eyes.

Another memory, this one from minutes before surfaced. An ashen face, blood leaking down his chin in a river of crimson, and a promise-

"_Promise me that you won't die here."_

Sasuke!

Eyes like the raging sun snapped open as humanity returned, the storm of swirling red chakra halting _-halting_, not receding- around him.

Something twisted in his gut as he took a halting step forward, reaching out, hesitating, before retracting his hand, a boy drowning in grief as he collapsed to his hands and knees. Sasuke was gone, and it was his fault. He had been too weak to save his friends, too weak to protect himself and someone else had to pay the price.

A mirror glinted, sparkling in the ray of sunlight like a freshly cut diamond.

Caustic eyes turned, narrowed, grief warping into something more, something vile and wicked as knife-like claws rent gouges through the bridge.

Wrath

The very air bent towards him as he clawed for more chakra, digging deeper and deeper into the infinite well that had opened up underneath his fingertips, the billowing cloud of chakra growing, thoughts spiralling, '_He killed Sasuke, took away his future, his dreams. Something he had no right doing.__'_

But more than that, he had taken away a friend.

Lightning flashed through the sky, a spear of blue-white that cut through the mountains of grey. Thunder roared a moment later, and Naruto roared with it, "**I'll make you **_**pay**_**!**"

And with that roar came Death.

Black wisps of…_something_ crawled through his pores, answering his call for more power, more chakra to make the ones that had hurt him pay. It moved like molasses, leaking into the red haze around him and Haku watched on, enthralled by the obsidian ooze as it moved about, a double helix of ruby and darkness forming.

The energy -because it sure as hell couldn't be chakra, not with the way it felt- shifted eternally, like a drop of ink within milk, never mixing. And depending on how you looked at it, always different. When the ice wielding nuke nin looked closely, he could see bones within the darkness, bones and screaming faces and skeletons.

The substance wrapped around his form, a parody of an embrace, hair changing, paling into a lighter shade of blonde, the roots a stark black. The sun kissed tan of his skin faded, flesh growing ashen, drained of color, and veins spanned the length of his arms, legs, and face, blue-red streams.

A nine pointed star -which in turn were a trio of triangles, one on top of the other- as black as the Kyuubi's soul exploded into existence within each eye, whirling slowly.

And in a prison made of chakra and blood, eyes like dying suns flickered open for the first time in twelve years.

"What… What _are_ you?" Haku's whisper sounded like the last breath of a dying man, lost among the turbulent winds. He could feel the black mist flitter across his skin, seeping the warmth from his bones. It felt like a void, an emptiness screaming to be filled with life.

Paralyzed, he watched as the former blonde rose, ruby eyes turning, as hollow as empty graves, "Your death." And then he disappeared, a blur of red on black.

Haku only had a moment to blink before a fist rammed through the mirror, reducing the pane to pieces and clipping his mask as he dodged, the porcelain shattering like glass. Agony lanced through his face as the shards tore through skin, his left eye a ruined mess.

Frantic, a senbon materialized into his hand and he swung, jamming it into the Konoha genin's elbow, the disgusting sound of shattering bone and cartilage ringing in his ears as he turned, jumping towards another mirror-

Missing the fact that no life giving liquid ran from the wound.

A hand latched onto his wrist, pulling, and Haku winced, his shoulder dislocating with a tear of tendons before he twisted into a kick, the water trailing behind solidifying into a makeshift blade of ice.

Naruto leaned back, the blade missing by a hair's breadth as a kunai slid into his hand, the edge gleaming black. He swung towards the missing nin's head and Haku ducked right into his knee, teeth clicking together, fracturing from the blow.

Conscious thought left him as he soared through the air, agony lancing white-hot through his shattered jaw, the sphere of mirrors, his pride and joy, shattering behind him.

Naruto watched, eyes blank, face emotionless, a dribble of coagulated blood -thick and black and heavy- running down his nose as the masked boy hit the ground and rolled end over end, bones cracking, limbs out flung like a puppet without strings.

A fit of coughs raked through his form as Haku struggled to get up, the concrete dyed red underneath his mangled body. Twisting his head, a gasp of pain -accompanied by a gout of blood- slipped through parted lips and he saw the pale skinned boy waking towards him. And as he watched, the water froze beneath his steps, the fauna shrivelled and died, and not for the first time did Haku wonder if they were going to make it out of here alive.

Dark energy swirled, identical copies -clones in every way, shape, and form- rolling off of the jinchuuriki's form like rainwater on leaves, the outermost triangle within the bloody seas that were his eyes rotating around the pupil.

As one they charged towards him, an army of the damned and Haku, pushing himself to one knee flashed through seals. He felt the jutsu click into place, felt the chakra leave him in a whoosh of displaced air, felt the whispered name leave his lips before he slammed his hands into the ground.

Ice erupted from the bridge in a great shower of concrete and iron, tearing a warpath towards the clones even as he stood on shaking knees. The very idea of moving seemed too horrifying to contemplate, but his master needed him, "I… I have to hurry…" The boy muttered, his eye frantic, "I have to warn Zabuza-sama! We cannot be-"

Haku stopped, face the color of curdled milk, mouth half open in a strangled scream. Eyes that seemed to reflect hell itself stared back into his own, a wolfish grin -the smile of a predator- on the owner's face, red chakra flaring.

The next moment and the grin vanished, replaced by oblivion as Naruto gazed into his eye, the black substance shifting, changing, _growing_ within the ruby depths. Idly he remembered a quote he had heard -stare into the abyss for too long and the abyss stares back- and wondered if it was his death.

When the ashen blonde finally spoke, his voice flowed like urn ash over eroded granite -and just as hollow-, "And where do you think you're going?"

Desperate to get away, Haku scrapped together the last vestiges of his chakra, the energy slipping through his fingers like water through a sieve, calling upon the elements. Water surged up and around his arm, a two foot blade of ice forming.

The makeshift sword hummed through the air, crystal frost trailing in its wake as he swung, coming within an inch of pale flesh, the blade shattering, melting as it met the storm of red-black energy. Boiling liquid splashed across his shattered mask, the paint peeling like torn flesh and Haku gasped in pain as a clawed hand -gleaming like the morning twilight- caught his wrist.

Ruby blazed, overtaking the darkness, and a saccharine grin spread across savagely whiskered cheeks, emotions returning within darkened orbs as the demonic taint spread, "_**That **_**was the best you could do?**" His voice had changed, become gravelly and primal and hungry and low.

And as Haku looked into the eyes of his death, a single tear trailed down the ruined mess that was his eye. Not for him, no, he accepted his fate, but for Zabuza-sama, for the fact that he had failed him, "I'm sorry Zabuza-sama, but I'm afraid a broken tool is of no use to you."

Naruto drew back his other hand, clawed fingers -bayonet sharp- swinging open like a switchblade, "**Any last words?**"There was no sound but the rolling waves lapping against the concrete pillars, nature hammering away against humanities work.

Haku lowered his head, accepting his destiny.

And then, with a hiss of displaced air, the jinchuuriki's hand darted forward, spearing through flesh and bone like a minnow through water, erupting from the back in a shower of crimson liquid, blood staining his skin forever red.

A labouring heart, slick and warm and pulsing against his palm thudded to a close. Haku gasped, eyes clouded with failure and pain, a bloody waterfall trailing down his chest, pooling at their feet as Naruto wrenched his clawed hand free through scarred flesh.

The Hyouton wielder fell, eyes closing, the mask falling, shattering beside him and the bloodstained genin let out a shallow, stagnant breath-

It was over

-before the obsidian darkness became a waterfall in reverse, slithering into his pores, red pin pricks of burnt tenketsu trailing in its wake. The crimson miasma glistened, cracked, and broke apart into pieces that sparkled like the twilight, drifting into the sky a moment later.

And Naruto -face an ashen pale, blue-black veins receding- blinked once, twice, the blood red of his eyes swirling, sapphire rising to the surface like the great seas of old before he closed his eyes and fell, as silent as the night.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The fauna around them shrivelled and died, the water froze, and Kakashi stilled as death flew over him. His hand clenched over the shallow wound in his side, blood seeping between his fingers and Sharingan eye furious beneath a mop of silver-white hair as it whirled, seeing the unseen.

There was a breeze.

And suddenly he couldn't move.

_Kyuubi!_

A hissing breath left him, eyes searching. No… This wasn't the Kyuubi with its malice and hatred, its loathing for the humanity that had created it, this was something else entirely. It rolled across the bridge like a glacial void, an absence of life screaming to be filled.

"Zabuza?"

"Hm?"

"I think it's time we end this, don't you?"

A scroll slid into his palm and unfurled in a flash of chakra. A thumb traced down its length, blood cutting through the seals imbued on its surface, humming with potential as chakra raced along the symbols. They flashed once, a brilliant blue-white and somewhere in the distance, a summon howled in return.

Snapping it shut, Kakashi raced through seals, sweat trailing down his brow, stinging his eyes before he finished, slamming the parchment into the ground, a storm of chakra, bright blue and glinting like sapphire flashing into existence.

The concrete shattered in a burst of power, seals racing along the surface like coiling snakes, tongues flickering, dancing through the air before shooting into the mist.

Zabuza raised his sword at the flash of chakra, the dark metal of the pommel freezing within his hand, watching, waiting for the barest hints of movement, "Whatever you're doing Kakashi, it isn't going to work." He stubbornly kept his thoughts away from the cold seeping into his bones, feeling of death and decay, a cold that had nothing to do with Haku's bloodline limit.

It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't just trembling, but by then it was far too late. The bridge rumbled beneath his feet, the concrete shattering, tiny chips cutting through the skin, heaving upwards like an erupting volcano and Zabuza cursed.

A dog burst forward, maw snapping, teeth gleaming white like sea foam and Zabuza raised his foot, chakra swirling through exhausted muscles before he brought it down on the pups head, felt bone and muscle gave away like wet tissue paper, watched blood fountaining from burst eardrums and disappear into a shower of smoke, thought-

'_Well fuck me sideways, it's a summon.'_

-before his ankle gave away in a shower of blood and cartilage.

Scarlet liquid spread across the ground like a macabre painting and Zabuza smirked through red-tinged bandaged, ruefully shaking his head at his mistake. He was going up against _the_ Hatake Kakashi, not some snot nosed little chuunin. He should have finished him off the first chance he got, but instead he had decided to play with him.

And now he was going to pay for it.

The last thing he heard was a low, mournful howl sounding like the end of the world before inch-wide teeth tore through his back and the world vanished into all encompassing agony.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"What… What was _that_!?"Sakura started, her voice shuddering with fear. The kunai slid cold and hard into her numb fingers, almost falling, shaking like the very bridge below her.

A desolate howl pierced through the veil of the mist and Tazuna took a step back, eyes riveted on the space in front of them, pupils wide and dilated, "What's that sound? Wh-What's going on out there?" He hated this…this feeling of uselessness, of not knowing what was going on while two young boys and a man half his age went out and fought for _his_ life.

And he was stuck here, hiding behind a girl not yet old enough to drink, bubblegum pink hair clinging to her face and eyes that once sparkled with life and innocence -so much like his daughter- wide, glinting with the horrors of what could be-

And all he could do was pray.

Pray that they won, pray that the enemy wouldn't have more allies hiding, pray that the gods could forgive him for dragging three children to their deaths.

Tazuna stiffened as the water around his feet froze, cracked, his broken reflection staring back, twin pools of murky brown mocking.

Dear god he didn't want to die.

Something hot and wet lodged in his throat as he tried to breathe, failing miserably; gasping sobs clawing their way up his throat and he lowered his head, mouthing useless prayers to a god that would never answer.

Sakura swallowed, looking away in shame, the hair on the back of her neck rising as the chocked off sobs of Tazuna shook through her. Tears rose to the surface and her face crumpled like a wadded up tissue, hopelessness flourishing within her being, "P-Please Tazuna-san…" The kunoichi took in a deep, rattling breath and forced back the tears, her voice cracking, "Don't worry, I am a ninja, I will protect you with my life if need be."

Nothing greeted her but that terrible silence and she lowered her head, thinking, _'Even Tazuna thinks I'm useless.'_ Before a large hand -rough with calluses and the trials of time- closed around her shoulder, "If you can find it in your heart, please forgive this old man for his foolish mistakes."

She replied with a watery smile, the kunai stilling within her hands and Tazuna grinned in return with courage he didn't feel. Around them, the grey fog thinned, rolled into the washing waves of the ocean and Sakura squinted bloodshot eyes, glaring at the two lumps enshrouded in front of her, mind racing, _'Could that be_…_Sasuke-kun?' _

Something cold and horrible unfurled in her gut as the first blot swayed, kneeled, and fell, the second following a moment later, as silent as the night. The emerald-eyed kunoichi took a staggering step forward, halted, desire warring against orders.

Desire won.

"Tazuna-san, please follow me." And then they were running across the bridge, gravel crunching noisily beneath their feet, muscles -cramped from standing still- burning as they pushed forward.

She slid along the icy surface; nearly slipping twice in her headlong rush only to stop dead in her tracks, dilated eyes wide as they spied-

Pools of blood tinged waters swirling lackadaisically, pale skin spidered with blue-black veins, and a bloodless body, his chest a yawning crater of bone and muscle. A shaking hand rose to cover parted lips, eyes spilling tears freely, "O-Oh, _god_…"

Before she turned, fell to one knee and vomited, mouth and eyes burning as she heaved, bits of half-digested food -rations bars from the morning- clinging to her teeth as she stared down with tear-filled eyes.

The bridge builder bowed his head, muttering a small, useless prayer to gods who would not answer before kneeling beside the distraught girl, his expression twisted into one of regret even as he tried to console the hysterical girl.

Idly, he gazed at the cratered chest, the pale, sunken skin with haunted eyes and wished he could be anywhere but here. It never got any easier, even after Kiaza, and it was all he could do to not follow in the kunoichi's footsteps.

He was shaken from his musing when Sakura suddenly shifted away from him, crawling an all fours towards Naruto and put a shaking finger to his pale neck, hoping, praying-

_Tha__…__thump__…_

"He's alive." Relief washed through Sakura, rinsing away the fear and she flashed Tazuna a watery smile, moving her fingers away from the frigid skin, idly wondering why her skin felt numb from where she had touched him.

Something moved in front of her and the genin jumped to her feet, hand darting towards her kunai, pausing-

What-?

Sasuke stood there, his face splattered with blood. Bleary eyes turned to stare at her, smirking, and Sakura ran towards him as he fell, knees clattering loudly against the concrete.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay!?" Sakura grabbed his arm, helping him to the ground. The Uchiha sat with a wince, the angry red pin pricks littered across his skin weeping crimson with every move. He hadn't felt this horrible since…well since _that _night.

Crouching beside him, Sakura took out a roll of gauze, "Is there anything I can get you?" Tentatively, she took his hand in her own and began to gently wrap his forearms.

Sasuke, meanwhile, squinted across the bridge, looking drunk. It was an effort to even keep his eyes open, but at least the mist was all but gone, "Naruto… Where's Naruto?" If that dobe had died after all the trouble he had gone through to save his ass, there was going to be hell to pay.

"Naruto's fine, Sasuke-kun." Sakura assured him, securing the wrappings with a small pin, "He just fainted, I think." In reality, she didn't really know what the hell had happened to him.

Nodding to herself for a job well done, Sakura rose to her feet, "Come on, let's get that blonde knucklehead and head towards Kakashi-sensei. I think I can see the villagers gathering near the front."

Sasuke said nothing as he pushed himself onto trembling legs, wincing as the tender skin stretched, tearing along the puncture wounds. Red unfolded like a blossom across the stark white bandages and he forced down a hiss of pain, forcing his feet to move.

And step by step, the two teammates made their way towards their wayward friend.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi rose, swaying slightly, black-white star bursts exploding across his vision, classic symptoms of chakra exhaustion.

God, he felt so tired, but Zabuza needed to die, so he pushed down the darkness that threatened to overcome him. All he needed was a few more minutes, just a few more minutes, and then he would rest, but first…

The Sharingan slowed to a crawl as the mist around them began to thin, the ghostly silhouette of Zabuza visible in the corner of his eyes. The nuke-nin's body was a tapestry of wounds, and he grinned as he saw Pakkun raise a paw towards him, bloodied teeth flashing in triumph.

"This is it Zabuza." The Demon of the Mist glared, defiant until the end and it was all Kakashi could do not to sigh. The acrid tang of blood hit his nose, even through the dampening mist and the scarecrow gazed through the dimness, towards his students.

Resolve rushed through Kakashi, hands running through seals. This was it, no more tricks, no more illusions.

Chakra surged, and around them the mist disappeared in a flash of blue-white energy. The smell of ozone ran rampant through the air as Kakashi crouched, snakes of lightning ripping great gouges of concrete from the surface of the bridge.

Zabuza was staring at him; eyes transfixed on the jutsu in his hand, at the growing ball of chakra, one of the most fearsome jutsu in creation and realized-

That was meant for him.

Zabuza took a deep breath and tilted his head back, staring at the vast, yawning sky above. It was a cloudless day, a deep, even blue that faded into the black-purple of twilight.

He could almost call it beautiful.

The jutsu met his chest with a crack of thunder.

Skin parted beneath the storm of lightning with surgical precision and Zabuza's heart exploded upon contact, burning remains of flesh exiting in a shower of blood from his back even as his lungs shrivelled in their cavities.

Tiny pinpricks of lightning danced across his skin, leaving burning skin and fried veins in their wake and the Kiri jounin gurgled once, twice, bandages staining crimson as blood bubbled from between his lips before he went still.

'_There's always so much blood with this technique.' _He'd need to get his vest dry cleaned again when he got back to Konoha.

His arm came out with a wet 'squelch' and the cycloptic jounin let it fall to his side. Below, his faithful summons disappeared one by one. Zabuza collapsed a moment later, hitting the ground with a deadened thud that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than death.

Even then, Kakashi lowered himself to his knees, a kunai gleaming midnight grey in his hands. Setting the knife at the base of the spine, he pressed, the flesh yielding easily beneath the sharp edge. The white column of bone took a moment longer.

Taking the head, he sealed it into a scroll, the massive sword following a moment later.

It was done.

Stepping away from the corpse, Kakashi tilted his headband back over his eye. The gnawing, draining feeling of his chakra being leeched slowed to a stop, but the trembling hands remained. And for a moment, all was silent.

A long, quiet minute later and he broke into a slow walk, heading towards his three genin. Exhaustion weighed heavily on his limbs, an ever present reminder that the minute he stopped, he would collapse. So he kept moving, kept on walking, one foot in front of the other.

"Well what do we have here?" The base of a cane struck the concrete bridge and Kakashi stilled, cursing, turning towards the sound.

'_Sonova__…__' _Gatou stood there, hooked nose and beady yellow eyes reminding Kakashi of a vulture. Behind him, a legion of armed goons, the lowest of the low. A quick head count put their numbers well over a hundred and he cursed again.

He didn't have enough chakra to deal with them, not after his battle with Zabuza and he would prefer not to use a soldier pill. He had enough worries as it was without adding multiple organ failure to the list.

"Maa, you must be Gatou." The billionaire's smile made him cringe, thoughts whirling. Hmm, maybe if he made a run for his students; got them out of here and regrouped. Zabuza had been the main issue, and with him gone, Gatou didn't have anybody in his merry little band that could pose a threat to him alone.

But that plan was foiled the moment Gatou opened his mouth, croaking, "And he called himself a demon. He couldn't even kill one little bridge builder." Damn it, he had forgotten about the old man.

It looked like he had no choice. Slowly, as to not alert the mercenaries, Kakashi reached into his pouch, fingering the tablet even as the shipping magnate took a step forward, "You know what to do about the rest of the trash boys."

The army roared, feet thundering across the concrete, a hundred pairs of beady eyes staring at the village behind him and Kakashi made his choice, bringing the pill to his lips, biting, the taste of power a bitter poison on his tongue when-

A single bolt fell from the sky and the army ground to a halt, confused.

Kakashi turned, just as confused, to gaze at the beginning of the bridge and nearly smiled at the sight. With a flick, he threw the soldier pill to the ground, crushing it under his heel with a small smile.

The village stood in the shadows of the bridge, weapons gleaming in the setting sun. They were smiling, their faces glowing with newfound determination wrought from the seeds of the one boy who stood in front of them all, a beacon of light in the darkness.

The jounin's smile only widened when Sasuke and Sakura came to stand beside him, kunai gleaming dangerously. Tazuna remained a few steps back, the blonde shock of hair in his arms a welcoming sight. As for the mercenaries, he could almost see the hesitation settling above their minds like a thin fog, wavering and unsteady, but steadily growing stronger.

All they needed was a little…_push_.

Kakashi's smile turned into something far more vicious, a push he was more than willing to provide.

A bloodied hand rose; the last vestiges of his chakra swirling around him, bright blue and warm before one became one hundred and Gatou was greeted to the sight of a hundred and one blood splattered jounin.

The mercenaries looked at each other, wavering, until one of them took a step back, then another and met his end at the edge of a blade.

He gurgled once, looked down at the sword jutting from his chest gleaming red-grey and fell, his mace clattering noisily beside him.

Behind him, Gatou sneered, pulling the blade free with a choppy jerk, "Now you fuckers listen and listen well. I'm paying you to kill the bridge builder, not to shy away like _fucking_ school girls from a few dozen villagers and a half dead ninja." The army cowered, straightening and Gatou turned towards the armed citizens, "Now go out there and kill those bastards!"

And then they were off with a roar.

"Here they come." Kakashi muttered, inhaling deeply. The bridge thundered beneath his feet as a similar roar echoed behind him, the water rippling with every passing wave as he quickly motioned for his genin, "Sasuke, how much chakra do you have?"

"A bit more than half, why?" He paused, waiting as the jounin hummed for a moment, sweat trailing down his brow as the two forces rumbled towards them.

Figures, even when they were about to be run over from both sides, the scarecrow still took his precious time.

"I want you to take out the first wave with a Goukakyuu and then move back to provide long range support." Sasuke's eyes widened, staring into Kakashi's own grey orb and read the question beneath the churning fog, _'Are you ready for this?'_

The last loyal Uchiha nodded, and Kakashi smiled sadly beneath his mask. First Naruto and now Sasuke. Both were going to lose that last dredge of innocence, whatever shattered remains they had left, and they were willing to give it up so easily.

But just as quickly as the thought came, it vanished, and he turned his attention towards his last student, "Sakura, you will be protecting Tazuna. Under no circumstances will you engage the enemy unless it is to defend you two, understand?"

Sakura seemed to visibly relax, "Hai Kakashi-sensei." With that, she took Tazuna and retreated back, their forms swallowed within the sea of villagers rushing towards them.

"A hundred feet…" Sasuke stepped forward and inhaled, fingers stiff with the cold cracking as he flashed through seals, ending in tiger.

"Fifty feet…" Kakashi released the clones with a sigh -there would be no use for them- and reached for a kunai, coating it with chakra.

Thirty…

Twenty…

Ten…

"**Katon: Goukyaku no Jutsu**!" A miniature sun exploded into being inches from Sasuke's face, screaming towards the enemy, and they met like planets colliding.

The ball of fire exploded on contact, licks of flame snapping hungrily towards the men like angry vipers.

The horrifying shrieks lasted only a moment -or maybe they were just shadowed by the rumbling of the jutsu- and when the smoke cleared, it was all Sasuke could do not to cringe.

A row of mercenaries lay on the pavement, cracked, melting flesh sloughing off of the bodies into disgusting red-black puddles around them. Sasuke watched as one of them ran screaming towards the edge of the bridge, futilely trying to smother the chakra enriched flames that embraced him.

With a crack, his knees met the safety railing and he tumbled over, the shrill screech coming to an abrupt end as he hit the water.

And it was with no small amount of relief that he retreated behind Kakashi as the remaining thugs jumped over the bodies of the fallen, unfeeling, uncaring of all except the little slips of paper they would kill, fight, and die for.

That was when Kakashi moved, hurling himself towards the mercenaries. The first one to reach the elite jounin died in an instant, a shuriken ripping through his throat in a howl of air.

Screams filled the air as Kakashi mowed through the ranks, a scythe through hay. Turning, he fired a right hook, caving in a face before he pivoted, fell to one knee and spun, slicing through four pairs of legs.

The four screamed in horror and pain, meeting their end underneath the feet of their own until all that remained was an unrecognizable mess of flesh and blood.

Kakashi jumped to his feet, the world around him turning upside down. Holding a hand out to steady himself, the scarecrow turned-

And was speared by a sword through his face.

The mercenary almost smiled before the jounin burst into a piece of concrete and his arm tore itself from his shoulder.

He screamed and fell to the cold concrete, turned, and saw the face of his executioner. Silver-red hair, a masked face, and a single grey orb that swirled like the eye of a hurricane.

Then his world faded into a single dot of brilliant white light, and he saw no more.

Kakashi absently wiped his hand on his vest; the dark forest green already dyed the color of coagulated blood. Another mercenary bore down on him from behind and he sighed, flinging the arm in his hand towards the man.

The mass of flesh caught him in the jaw, sending him spiralling through the air. Kakashi appeared above him in a blur of red-grey, Sharingan whirling.

The mercenary looked into the swirling tomoe, into the crimson depths, moth frothing as he began to scream, a long, hoarse sound that echoed through his bones.

Finally, the last mercenary fell.

It had only taken four minutes.

The villagers stood in the middle of the bridge, some unwounded, others not as lucky, all silent and unmoving except for the harsh breathing of taxed lungs. An unconscious Gatou was at their feet.

Sasuke and Sakura were together with Tazuna in between them. The old bridge builder had Naruto on his back, and even where he was, he could tell the blonde was fine.

"Good…" Kakashi smiled, the world around him dimming as he closed his eyes, falling. Faintly, he could hear the surprised cries of Sakura as she rushed towards him and he couldn't help but smile wider.

All was well.

**XX AN XX**

And there you have it, chapter one completely revised.

And yes, I killed off Gatou since a lot of people had a problem with that. I don't really have a lot of experience writing group fight scenes, so feel free to add your own two cents.

Other than that, the next few chapters will be revised likewise as I continue to work on chapter 14. I haven't really had much time to write.

And leave a review for Naruto, poor guy's unconscious and reviews are his smelling salt.

Until next time.

**XX AN XX**


	2. Reunion

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** MatrixExplosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 6, 086

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** March 09, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Here's Chapter 02, hope you like it.

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 02 - Reunion**

Two weeks had passed since the godly and climactic battle at the bridge and the town was still sprawling with spectacular celebrations at every corner. Fireworks lit the sky in a plethora of colors and people roamed around the streets, drunk with sake and merriment.

The town was still celebrating the defeat of Gatou at the hands of Team 7 and their sensei, even two weeks after his defeat. The fact that he wasn't dead didn't seem to dampen the mood of any of the villagers.

Still, even being the center of all of the happiness, Team 7 had never been further apart.

Sasuke seemed to be brooding even more after his battle, and humiliating defeat, at the hand of Zabuza's apprentice. The fact that Naruto, the dead-last of his class, had been able to defeat _and_ kill - more like annihilate - the boy while he, the rookie of the year and prodigy of the Uchiha clan couldn't even touch him only added salt to his wounded pride. On top of that, he hunter nin hadn't even been trying to kill them, just stop them.

Sakura meanwhile had been avoiding Naruto like the _plague_. She was absolutely _terrified_ of Naruto and what he had done to that fake hunter nin. Ever since he had woken up, she would try her damndest to stay away from him, and if they had a team meeting, she would always stay as close as possible to either Sasuke or Kakashi.

Kakashi meanwhile was sprawled out lazily on the branches of a tree some sixty feet high.

Had been contemplating what had happened on the bridge to his team ever since Naruto had been awake.

Sasuke had nearly died, and it was only because of the goodness in the fake hunter nin's heart that he was alive. But instead of being at least a little pleased for being spared, he almost loathed Naruto's very existence for defeating the fake hunter nin when he couldn't.

'_That boy should be thankful that he is even alive, if he were fighting anyone else with as much skill as that boy, he would be rotting six feet under.'_ Kakashi thought to himself, though he promised himself to begin training Sasuke in his Sharingan as soon as they got back to prevent further incidents from happening.

Sakura on the other hand, Kakashi didn't know what to make of her. She had been useless on the mission from the very start. She had frozen up against the two mist chuunin that first attacked Tazuna and them. Granted Naruto had also frozen up, but at least he had made a viable effort to get better, and he did. Then when Zabuza had attacked them the first time, she had done absolutely nothing of help then either. It was Naruto and Sasuke that had defeated the clones after he had been caught in the **Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique)**, and it had been _Naruto_ of all people to come up with the plan to free him, not the "smartest person from the academy" Sakura. Then, in the final battle with both Zabuza and Haku, she hadn't done anything even after the week of training all three of them had went through. She even had the gall to leave the client they were supposed to _protect_ alone while she went off towards someone she _thought_ was Sasuke.

Kakashi sighed as she thought of what to do with her, _'She isn't cut out to be a ninja. Unless I can get her to take this seriously after we get back to Konoha, I'll have to kick her off the team.'_

And then there was Naruto, the Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja of Konoha, or so he used to think. Naruto had been quiet, unnaturally so, ever since he had learned it was him that had killed Haku with his bare hands. He had lost the spark that made his eyes shine like the cerulean skies of summer and the abundance of energy that made him, him.

When he had left Naruto in the room after he had woken up, he had gone back to Sasuke and Sakura and asked her to describe how Naruto had looked when he had killed Haku, mostly to see if the Kyuubi no Kitsune was influencing him and making him into a threat, or if it was something else. He himself thought of the latter, and that necessarily wasn't a good thing.

**XX FlashBack XX**

"Sakura…," Kakashi said as he stepped out of the room. Both Sakura and Sasuke who were standing in the halls looked up at him.

"Yes Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, seeing their sensei look serious for once.

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi continued, "I need you to explain to me, in detail, how Naruto looked like when you saw him with… his hand in Haku."

Kakashi saw Sakura wince at the mental image before she began, "W-when I saw him, his blond hair was more bunched together, and it was a light yellow color with black stripes going half way up. His skin was so pale, it almost looked white and he had black claws on both his hands."

Sakura stopped for a bit and saw that Kakashi was hanging on every word; even Sasuke looked interested even though he didn't try to show it.

"Red and black energy was flowing around him like a tornado and the whisker-like marks on his cheeks were also thicker, but the weirdest thing was his eyes, they were a deep red with a slit for pupils, like a cat…" Sakura continued.

Kakashi mentally breathed a sigh of relief, if she had said his eyes looked like a fox's, Sasuke would have undoubtly figured it out.

"…and around his pupil's, there was a black and red nine pointed star made of three triangles in each eye with the first triangle slowly spinning around. Almost like your and Sasuke-kun's Sharingan sensei."

Narrowing his eyes at the last part, Kakashi didn't say a word as he left a confused Sakura and a contemplating Sasuke in his wake as he walked down the stairs and out the door.

**XX FlashBack End XX**

Kakashi shivered in silent awe as he thought of how the black energy had felt when it had washed over the bridge in a silent wave of dread. Nothing could describe the power and feeling of emptiness he had felt flow over his very being, not even the Kyuubi's aura of power was as exhilarating and at the same time terrifying as what Naruto had tapped into on that bridge.

But from what he had gathered from Sakura's description, it seemed like Naruto was affected by both the Kyuubi and another source, something he as one of the top jounins in Konoha didn't know about, but that wasn't all. From the last part of what Sakura had told him, it seemed that Naruto had awoken a completely new Bloodline Limit and because of that, he had immediately sent the Sandaime Hokage a letter in advanced about what happened.

'_Now, if only I knew what it does…'_

Shrugging his shoulders as best as he could while being sprawled on a branch, Kakashi reached into back kunai pouch before pulled out a luminescent orange book, "Now, let's see what Akiko's up to…"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Team 7 stood on the now finished bridge as the town of Wave gathered to bid them farewell.

Tsunami stepped forwards and bowed towards Kakashi, "Thank you for your help, this bridge wouldn't have been possible without it." She said with a smile on her face.

Kakashi just eye-smiled back at her, "It was no problem."

"Hey, you'll come back right Naruto?" Inari asked.

Naruto meanwhile stood at the back of the group with his head pointed down before he suddenly looked up at Inari, "Oh… what did you say Inari?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice.

Tazuna's family shot Naruto concerned looks at his lack of energy even two weeks after the incident.

"Maa, we should get going now…" Kakashi told the genin as he turned around and started to walk down the bridge, Naruto quickly following him suit.

Sasuke just nodded his head in the villager's direction before he started to walk towards Kakashi.

Sakura quickly bowed in their direction before taking off after Sasuke, her high pitched voice drifted back towards the crowd, "Sasuke-kun… How about we go on a date when we get back to the village?

Just a quickly, a quite, "No" drifted through the air from the dark haired youth.

For awhile, all was quite on the bridge before suddenly once of the villagers called out, "Hey, what should we call the bridge!?"

"Let's call it the Super Great Tazuna Bridge," Tazuna shouted out.

He was met with a chorus of boos' that rung through the air before Inari decided to butt in for his grandpa's sake, "Hey I know, let's call it the Great Naruto Bridge." Inari suggested to the group.

Tsunami smiled down at Inari, "I think that's a great name Inari."

Tazuna pouted a bit before he looked up and smiled towards Naruto's direction, "Let us name this bridge after the boy who saved a country from a tyrant and brought hope to its people, The Great Naruto Bridge!" Behind him, the crowd erupted into cheers for the savior of Wave.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi looked over at the three tents of his team as they slept after a day of travel through Fire Country. They were less than four hours away from the gates of Konoha, but both Sakura and Sasuke had been lagging behind. Unsurprisingly, Naruto had been able to easily keep pace with him, his legendary stamina and monstrous chakra capacity easily allowing him to stay up ahead with the elite jounin, granted they weren't really going all that fast through the treetops.

Kakashi turned his head back towards the fire he had made, releasing a small sigh of contentment. It was times like this that he truly cherished. No annoying genin babbling in his ear, no S-class missions to wear on his nerves where an enemy could kill him faster than he could blink, just a quiet solitude to contemplate life and the choices he had made.

Thinking back to a few hours before where they had stopped for a break, he had wanted to take Naruto with him and have a talk about what he had done to Haku on the bridge, but as soon as he had turned around to ask him to come with him, Naruto had disappeared.

He had only appeared after he had called everybody back to get ready to go again.

Releasing a small sigh, Kakashi continued to stare into the fire, even though it wasn't a very smart thing to do. His vision was already limited due to one of his eyes being covered with his headband, and staring into bright inferno of flames wouldn't exactly help his case.

Looking up at the position of the moon, Kakashi guessed the time to be around 3:00 am, even though it was incredibly inaccurate to measure the time from the position of the moon, it would have to do for now.

Walking towards the trio of tents, Kakashi decided it was time for Sasuke to begin his shift. Walking into the tent, Kakashi nudged Sasuke awake, "Sasuke, it's your shift."

Sasuke sat up groggily before rubbing his eyes slightly. Getting up, he nodded slightly in Kakashi's direction before walking towards the exit of the tent before he was stopped by Kakashi, "Sasuke…"

"Hai?" Sasuke replied without turning his back.

""We'll begin your Sharingan training when we get back to Konoha; meet me at training ground 19 at five o'clock when we get back tomorrow."

Sasuke let a small smirk before cross his features before his ever present scowl quickly replaced it, "Hai…" _'Finally, I will get the power to beat Him!'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Team 7 report," The Sandaime Hokage of Konoha commanded. Although it was not necessary for Kakashi to give an oral report since he would be giving a written report anyways, the Hokage wanted the newly instated genin to have the experience.

"Mission accomplished Hokage-sama, despite the complications…" Kakashi said as he stood before the Hokage with Team 7 by his side, although he murmured the last part. It was early in the morning and Team 7 had just gotten to the Hokage Tower.

"During our escort of Tazuna-san to Nami no Kuni, we were ambushed by two sets of missing nin working for the same organization. The first were two chuunin level ninja from the Mist village known as the 'Demon Brothers'. They were easily subdued by me after I had learnt of their target, but Naruto received a poisoned wound in the process." Kakashi drawled on in a monotone voice.

The Hokage discreetly sent a look towards the blond haired youth to see how he was fairing before quickly returning his attention to the one eyed ninja.

"I reasoned that we should head back to Konoha to get Naruto's wound treated, but Naruto used a kunai to bleed the poison out of his body," Kakashi continued, "We then found out that Tazuna-san had lied about the mission details but we decided to continue on due to the inability of our client to pay for a higher mission and to help out the people of Wave Country, on the condition that he pay the full amount when it was possible." Kakashi paused for a moment to let the Hokage acknowledge the change in the mission parameters before he continued.

"After questioning Tazuna-san, we found out that he was being targeted by Gatou of the Gatou Shipping Company. We continued our escort mission and we entered Wave Country by means of a row boat to avoid detection. Not long after getting off were we attacked by jounin level missing nin Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Zabuza momentarily managed to detain me, but Sasuke and Naruto came up with a plan to free me. I was then able to finish the battle and defeat Zabuza. Afterwards, a Mist hunter nin came and took care of Zabuza, but we came to the conclusion that he was an accomplice of Zabuza since he did not dispose of the body on the spot."

Kakashi paused for a bit to take a breath and opened his mouth to speak more, but was interrupted by the Hokage, "And you did not request for help even though you knew Zabuza was still alive along with a skilled accomplice?" The Hokage questioned with a slight undercurrent of displeasure visible in his voice.

Kakashi looked sheepish for a second before he replied, "I concluded that we did not need help since I would be better prepared for Zabuza and I would have trained my team to deal with the fake hunter nin."

The Hokage sent a small glare towards Kakashi before he nodded, silently accepting the answer. What was done was done, he couldn't change it and on the field, it was the leading ninja's choice on what to do.

"Once we reached Tazuna-san's residence, I proceeded to train my team using the tree climbing exercise which all three of them mastered by the sixth day. On the dawn of the seventh day, my team and I minus Naruto, who had slept in due to exhaustion, headed towards the bridge. Once we arrived there, the entirety of the bridge was covered in chakra induced mist and most of the workmen either killed or badly beaten. Zabuza and the fake hunter nin who was revealed to be Haku walked out of the mist. Haku then engaged Sasuke in combat while I myself fought Zabuza and Sakura protected Tazuna. I later found out that Haku had a bloodline limit that allowed him to control water and convert it into ice."

The Sandaime's eyes widened imperceptibly at that, there were not many bloodlines left in the entirety of the ninja world that allowed sub-elemental manipulation, and last he had heard, the bloodline limit that allowed a ninja to control ice had become extinct in the Bloodline Wars in the Mist.

Kakashi continued on, mildly amused at the Hokage's reaction, "Haku then proceeded to create a dome of mirrors composed of ice with his bloodline limit around Sasuke that allowed him to move at low jounin level speed. It was then that Naruto showed up with the possibility of freeing Sasuke, but it was short lived as Naruto himself entered the mirrors."

Everyone but the Hokage missed as Naruto looked down at the floor angrily, wanting to defend himself but unable to as Kakashi continued his report.

"From there, I fully engaged Zabuza and ended his life with my **Raikiri** after trapping him with my nin dog summons, and I proceeded towards my team when Gatou showed up on the bridge with an army of mercenaries and the like. Luckily, the villagers showed up and with the help of my **Kage Bunshin**, drove away Gatou and his army. I then proceeded to make my way towards my team where I found that Naruto had killed Haku."

The Hokage didn't make any outwards signs of what he was feeling right now, having already been notified of Naruto's deed in Kakashi's letter, although he did know that the copy nin had left a lot of details out which he resolved to get later. But as he looked at the genin of Team 7, he knew that their team dynamic had been affected.

Sasuke seemed to be highly jealous of Naruto and the fact that he had killed before him, while Sakura seemed to be scared of him.

"Shortly after, the bridge was completed and we left to return to Konoha without further incident." Kakashi said as he completed his report.

Normally sharp eyes looked off into the distant in a glazed fashion as the God of Shinobi went over everything that Kakashi had told him, and what he hadn't. With that in mind, he dismissed two of the members of Team 7, "Very well, good work Team 7, Sasuke and Sakura, you are dismissed. Kakashi and Naruto, please stay behind."

Sasuke just turned around and walked off, planning on what to train on with Kakashi for their training session later on in the day.

Sakura turned and gave Kakashi and the Hokage a quick glance before running after Sasuke.

"Now then Kakashi, I know you left a lot out on what happened on the mission for the sake of secrecy and while your letter was very informative, I still need a full report." The Hokage told Kakashi.

"As I stated before, everything happened the same as I said up to the point where Naruto got into the dome of mirrors to help Sasuke. From there, I was busy engaging Zabuza and therefore did not see what occurred between Naruto and Zabuza's accomplice." Kakashi said.

Seeing as Kakashi didn't know anymore than he had already told him, the aged Hokage turned his attention towards the blond jinchuuriki, his concerned gaze growing as Naruto's own face fell slightly, "Well Naruto, care to tell me what happened on the bridge?"

Naruto let out a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do, "When I got inside the mirrors of ice, Sasuke was being beaten badly by Haku. From there, were both continued to fight, me using **Kage Bunshin** and Sasuke using a fire jutsu, but we still couldn't beat him. Haku then tried to take me out of the battle, but Sasuke jumped in the way of the blow to shield me."

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, he would never forget how Sasuke had looked like in his arms, "I thought he was dead, Haku had even said he had killed Sasuke and after that, I just sorta… snapped. I felt extremely angry, and then a giant rush of energy and strength swept over me. I could feel myself getting stronger and faster"

Both the Hokage and Kakashi exchanged a worried glance; that was undoubtly the chakra of the sealed bijuu leaking through the seal, more commonly referred to as yokai.

Naruto continued, oblivious to the thoughts of the higher ranking shinobi, "Then I saw Sasuke's body just lying there and it was all my fault, all I wanted to do was rip Haku to shreds but then the weirdest feeling came over, it was as if I was slowly falling asleep, I slowly stopped feeling anything, not even anger. The next thing I remembered after that was waking up in Tazuna's house. There, Sakura told me that I had killed Haku."

The Hokage sat in a contemplative silence for a few minutes, idly mulling over everything he had been told before let out a weary sigh, children should not be forced to stain their hands red so young, "Tell me Naruto, what would have happened had you not killed Haku?"

Not knowing what else to do, Naruto just answered the question, "He would have killed me and the teme."

Laughing a little on the inside at his nickname for Sasuke, the Sandaime continued, "Exactly, and from there, he would have helped Zabuza kill Kakashi and Sakura along with the Tazuna-san so the bridge wouldn't get completed. Not only did you save the life of your teammates and sensei, you also saved and entire village and thousands of people from Gatou's vile ways."

Seeing as the blond haired youth still wasn't convinced, he tried a different tactic, "Let me ask you a question, did you feel any joy from killing Haku?

Naruto's head whipped up to face the third Hokage as if asking how he could even ask such a stupid question.

"Then why should you be ashamed, you did not feel any joy for causing pain, you grieved the loss of an innocent life. There will always be evil in this world Naruto, and people must die for the greater good whether they deserve to or not." As he finished his lecture, the Sandaime let a small smile show across his face, Naruto seemed to be thinking about what he had said.

Naruto meanwhile was indeed thinking about what his oji-san has said; he didn't feel happy or proud that he had taken another life, he felt absolutely miserable. But he had needed to kill Haku, not only was it his _job_ as a shinobi of Konoha, he had done it to help save hundreds of lives that would have otherwise ended because of Gatou.

Seeing as he had done all he could, the Hokage dismissed Naruto, "Now, why don't you go home and get some rest?"

Deciding to do just that, Naruto bid a quick good bye to his sensei and the Hokage before walking out the door.

Tearing his gave away from the door, the wizened leader turned his attention to the only other person in the room, "Now Kakashi, I know you have some other things you need to tell me…"

Kakashi slightly walked forwards before unceremoniously sitting down in the chair in front of the Hokage's desk, he had only gotten three hours of sleep last night and he was dead tired, "There's something that worries me about how Naruto killed the fake hunter-nin and what he used to accomplish the task."

Seeing the Hokage get interested, he continued, "According to Sakura, Naruto killed the boy by punching a hole right through him, without the use of any jutsu."

Ignoring the Hokage's shocked expression, the masked nin continued, "As far as I know, only Tsunade-sama of the Sannin has the strength to do that. But the thing that worries me more is the energy Naruto tapped into after the Kyuubi's initial wave, it was unlike anything I have ever felt before. The power in Kyuubi's yokai didn't even come close matching the raw energy I felt simply _exude_ from Naruto. But the strange thing was that I didn't feel any sort of feeling come from the energy itself.

Kakashi looked up to see a slightly bewildered expression on the Hokage's face, so he decided to explain, "As you undoubtly know, all types of chakra have a feel to them based on their elemental alignment. Lightning chakra usually makes you feel tense and agitated, while Kyuubi's yokai absolutely reeks of hatred and malice. The new energy on the other hand didn't feel like anything, it was as if it simply existed, I knew it was there but it felt like and empty void."

The Hokage meanwhile looked deep in thought, there was only one other time he had felt something close to what Kakashi had described to him, over twelve years ago, "This is most troubling… Now onto the other matter of Naruto's eyes…" The Sandaime trailed off as if asking Kakashi to continue.

"Ah yes, well, it seemed that Naruto _might_ have a bloodline limit, although since I have concluded this from Sakura's report on Naruto's appearance, I'm probably wrong." Seeing as he had told the Hokage ever thing he knew, he decided it was time to leave, "Is that all Hokage-sama?"

Said Hokage seemed pensive for a moment before letting out a deep breath, "Yes, that is all Kakashi; I will summon you if I need to ask any more questions."

Kakashi got up and bowed to the Third before putting his hand in a half seal and disappearing in a puff of chakra generated smoke.

As Kakashi exited the office, the Sandaime took out a scroll and brush from one of the compartments of his desk, Jiraiya needed to pay a long overdue visit to his sensei and maybe he would have more insight as to what he thought was going on, _'I pray that I am wrong, because if I'm right, the Kyuubi will be the least of Naruto's worries.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_A blood red moon hung in the sky, accentuating the mangled bodies and blood drenched grass. All of this was visible in perfect clarity to his eyes._

_He looked in front of him to see a monstrous toad wielding a gigantic yakuza-style sword surrounded by shinobi. On the head of the toad stood a single shinobi, his electric blue eyes sending waves of unfathomable hatred coursing through his very being._

_He opened his blood stained maw and roared, the ground shaking from his untamable power as black fire exploded off of his frame and scorched the ground a molten red._

_He leapt forward, intent on destroying the insignificant little bug before him when unholy white light exploded across his vision…_

Naruto sprang up from his bed panting, cold sweat glistening down his pale face, _'W-was that a dream?'_ Looking to the side, he saw that it was only 4:28 am.

Crawling out of his bed, Naruto groggily made his way towards his bathroom, absentmindedly rubbing his eyes with his fists.

Stepping into the tiny room, Naruto walked up to the sink and turned n the cold water tap, waiting a few seconds to let it get cold.

Splashing some frigid water on to his face, he looked up into the mirror, _'Hm, at least I look better than yesterday, what the…?'_

Electric blue eyes overtaken by a single blue upside down triangle stared back at him from the reflection. Slowly, the single triangle began to spin in each eye, slowly shrinking in size before they disappeared into the pupil.

"Well… that was weird, gonna have to ask oji-san about that tomorrow." Naruto murmured quietly to himself.

Turning back around, Naruto made his way to his bedroom again, intent on getting at least three more hours of sleep. Getting into his bed, he gradually drifted off…

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

The monotonous sound of dripping water reached Naruto's ears, gradually awakening him from his dreamless slumber.

Slowly opening his eyes open, the blonde genin blinked to clear his vision before staring up into an endless black void, "What the hell? Wasn't I just in my bedroom?"

Putting a hand underneath him for support and idly wondering why the floor was wet, Naruto pushed himself up and onto his feet and finally got a good look around. Looking about, he saw that he was surrounded by dull grey walls imbedded with translucent blue and red pipes for as far as he could see.

Naruto let a small, uncharacteristic frown flitter across his features as he walked up to the wall on the left. The red pipes were empty, but the blue pipes had a deep sea blue substance running through them with tiny splotches of a crimson floating around.

'_Is that my chakra? What is this place?'_ Naruto wondered to himself, walking in the only direction he could go, forward.

Several minutes of walking through the veritable maze later, a cold sweat began to form on his brow as he felt something he had felt many times before by just walking down the streets of Konoha…pure killing intent. Not the type that shinobi and kunoichi use on a regular basis to stop their targets, but the type that people exude when they hate you with every fiber of their being.

Stepping out of the wide hallway, Naruto found himself inside of a gargantuan room where he suddenly had the strangest feeling, as if he was being watched.

Getting his nerves back together, Naruto strode forward, intent on finding out where he was.

His eyes widened as he looked up and caught sight of an enormous translucent black gate, the top disappearing into the black fathomless void that was the ceiling. Intricate blue seals that glowed with an eerie familiarity lined the pillar like bars, and a single flimsy piece of paper with the kanji for "Seal" was stamped in the center of the gate, as if holding it shut. Looking closer, Naruto saw that tiny, spider web like cracks adorned the bars of the gate.

Walking closer to the gate, the feeling of being watched just got stronger, when abruptly blood stained white exploded into his vision. Naruto leapt back, narrowly escaping the claws that had come his way.

His heart pounding at the thought of what that would have done to him but still wanting to know where he was, Naruto took a few steps forwards before addressing whatever it was that was out there, "W-who the hell's out there?" Naruto asked, but he knew he was just fooling himself, he knew what it was that was out there; his mind just didn't want to accept it.

Ever since Iruka has told him about the beast sealed within his navel, he had been in a state of denial, he knew it was there, but it was something that he could ignore since he actually hadn't seen it inside of him, but seeing it now would just make it that much more real.

Two scarlet orbs spraying hatred like water from a broken dam appeared in the hollow vastness that was behind the gate, followed by a deep, baritone voice **"If it wasn't for this accursed seal, I would eat you…" **

As the rest of the demonic entity became clear, a smiling visage lined with hundreds of razor sharp teeth came into view, and as much as he wanted to turn back around and run like hell itself was on his ass, he quite unexpectedly found that he couldn't move his legs anymore, too petrified with fear.

Both Naruto and the demonic creature - demonic because nothing else in the world could look that frightening by just simply smiling - stared at each other for a few scarce moments, Naruto with unadulterated fear and the creature with some sort of twisted amusement, before the beast burst out laughing.

Naruto decided that slowly walking backwards and running away was the best chance he had for survival, hell the laugh itself was the single most bone chilling thing he had ever heard in his life, he had no desire to know what something that _laughed _evilly could do.

Before he could make good on his idea for survival, the creature began to talk, **"The look on your face was absolutely priceless kid. It's been over twelve years since any flesh bag has looked at me with such fear on their face."**

Our blond hero, on the other hand, had just had an epiphany, why should he be afraid of the creature before him? It was locked up behind the gate and he was on the other side, and besides, it couldn't hurt him, at least, he didn't think it could.

Finally scrounging up enough courage to get his vocal cords to work, Naruto took the initiative to begin, "Hey! I'm not scared of you, you damn fox! Now where the hell am I and why am I here?" Naruto demanded while putting on his best 'pissed off' face, but against something that was probably _born_ evil, it didn't really do much other than make it even more amused.

Said fox let out a mocking laugh before deciding to grace the blond with an answer, **"I'm surprised your feeble intelligence was able to deduce who I am, then again, having the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed inside of you has to have some benefits. Currently, we are in your mind and before you ask, yes it is always this empty." **the nine-tailed bijuu let a smirk cross his features at the blonds angered expression at his insult, humans were such easy creatures to rile up. "**As to why exactly you're here, look behind you…"** Kyuubi said before trailing off.

Still cautious about turning his back to such a dangerous and evil entity, he first took a few steps back to put some distance between himself and the cage before turning around, expecting to see something lying on the floor.

Seeing nothing in front of him, Naruto slowly raised his eyes from the floor only to see a person standing there. Not really noticing or caring that nothing other than the Kyuubi and himself should be in here, Naruto slowly took in the other person's appearance.

_He_ was definitely a shinobi, if the kunai and shuriken hostlers attached to the blue ninja pants were anything to go by. A white cape adorned his shoulders, a flame like pattern embroiled onto the bottom. Further up, a standard green jounin vest adorned his chest.

Finally looking at the person's face, Naruto was surprised to find sapphire blue eyes that he recognized instantly, and how could he not; he saw those very same eyes every time he looked into a mirror. Unruly blond hair not unlike his own finished off the appearance.

He had seen this man before, but not in person, he saw him every time he looked at the Hokage Monument.

A single word escaped his lips in a hushed whisper, lost to the winds of his mind, "_Yondaime_…"

**XX AN XX**

I bet none of you ever saw that coming, don't worry though; I have a plausible explanation to explain everything.

As you can see, I'm not that good with dialogue, so this chapter isn't even close to the last one in quality, at least in my opinion. And about the long wait… I was struck by laziness. Hell, this chapter was late when I _started_ it, around a week ago.

On a side note, you might see that my writing got quite a bit better near the end, that's what happens when I write when I get inspiration, compared to the beginning of this chapter.

Anyways, read and review.

**XX AN XX**


	3. Training

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** MatrixExplosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 6,047

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** March 24, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Here's Chapter 03, hope you like it.

**IMPORTANT: Read the author's note at the end…**

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 03 - Training**

Shock didn't even come close to describing what he was feeling right now. Why did it have to be _him _of all people, the only one that he equally loathed and looked up to as a role model every single day of his life?

He loathed this man's very existence for burdening him with the curse of the Kyuubi, yet he looked up to him for sacrificing everything he had, even his own life, for the sake of the village.

Naruto's shock however was quickly replaced by unfathomable anger. All the torment and sadness he had suffered in his young life flashed in through his mind, his mindscape warping and distorting at his chaotic emotions.

And along with that anger came the yokai of the Kyuubi, all the more powerful because of the bijuu's own rage. Ever astute to its jailors anger, the malevolent yokai slithered out of the cage in tendrils of crimson energy, seeking to corrupt anything and everything that it could lay its spiteful hand on.

The yokai reached Naruto, swirling around his frame as he underwent a demonic metamorphosis. Fingers went taut as his nails lengthened to inch long claws, the jagged little whisker marks on his cheeks flaring, making him look all the more feral. His teeth lengthened and sharpened, and his face became more angular, much like the beast sealed within him.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Hokage looked on with fascinated horror at what his legacy was becoming, "Naruto! Stop it!" he yelled, wanting to try and reason with the blond jinchuuriki.

Naruto looked up with a snarl on his face, feral red eyes spilling out hatred and anger, **"It's all your fault!"** Naruto yelled at the dead Hokage, demonic yokai exploding off of his body.

The Yondaime took a step back and fell into a stance, ready to defend himself from the enraged jinchuuriki. He himself didn't know what was going on. On moment he was floating on endlessly, eternal darkness surrounding his very being. He had felt nothing but utter solitude for the past twelve or so years of his feeble existence. Then in the next instance, he found himself here, in the mind of his legacy.

Naruto lunged at the Yondaime, ready to tear him into shreds with his claws.

The Yondaime side stepped the furious attack, grabbing the offending arm and twisting it behind Naruto's back. Going into a crouch, he swept Naruto's feet from underneath him and pinned him to the floor.

"Snap out of it Naruto!" The Yondaime shouted, "I just want to talk, I don't even know how I got here…"

"**Get away from me you blond bastard!"** Naruto shouted, delivering a crushing elbow to the other mans temple with his free arm, but the blond Hokage held on tight.

After a few more moments, Naruto stopped struggling as tears streamed down his face, Kyuubi's corruptive power leaving his body and returning to the cage in a flash of red mist, "Why…?" Naruto questioned feebly, "Why won't you just leave me alone, you ruined my _life _because of the damned fox!"

The older blond looked at the younger one still pinned beneath him, anguish and grief tearing his heart apart at the raw emotion in his voice, "Because I had to Naruto." The older blond stated.

Seeing as Naruto was calming down, he continued, "I'm sorry Naruto… I wanted you to be seen as a hero… that was my wish. I wanted the villagers to know that it was because of you that they were alive."

Naruto let out a feeble laugh, choking on his tears half way through, "Great job your last wish did, the entire village still treats me like something lower than trash."

The older blond pulled Naruto closer to himself as he wept, his own tears streaming silently down his face at the torment he had put this child through, "At least Jiraiya-sensei and the Sandaime protected you while you lived with them." The Yondaime said, hoping Naruto would remember the better parts of his life.

Naruto, while still an emotional wreck, managed to get out a confused, "W-what are you talking about?"

Suddenly, both Naruto and the Yondaime heard a deep, menacing chuckle reverberate off of the walls of the mindscape, **"Things haven't gone as you had intended ningen,"** The Kyuubi said, its voice causing a steely glint to enter the Yondaime's eyes, "What do you mean fox?"

As amused grin imbued with malice spawned onto the Youma's visage, **"Here, why don't I show you instead…"**

Tendrils of fiery yokai spilled forth from the translucent gates, approaching the Hokage's prone figure. Wicked crimson energy surrounded his being in a deadly vortex, his eyes shooting wide open as memories of times long past invaded his mind, the cold stares, the heated whispers, the pure and utter _desolation_.

"_Can't have _him_ becoming a shino-"_

"_Please don't leave m-"_

"_You are the Kyuubi no Yoko!"_

"_-et out of here, demom!"_

"_-ilthy mongrel. Should've kill-"_

"_-iple fractured ribs, both-"_

"_Get away from my child, demon!"_

"_-emon."_

"_Demo-"_

"_Spine was severed Hokag-"_

"_Filthy scum."_

"_Dobe"_

"_Monster!"_

"_**DEMON!"**_

The Fourth Hokage let out a surprised scream and stumbled back, staggering out of the dissipating vortex. Letting out a shuddering breath, he looked towards Naruto with a haunted expression on his pale features, "I'm sorry, so sorry for what you had to go through Naruto… but why aren't you living with Jiraiya-sensei and the Sandaime?"

Confusion riddled Naruto's tear streaked face, both as to what the Kyuubi had done and why the Fourth was asking that, but before he could answer, the Youma from within the cage decided to add in his two cents, **"Your legacy has been living alone for over six years now Yondaime-**_**sama**_**, and before that he used to live in an orphanage. Surely you have seen that from the brief glimpse through his memories."** The Kyuubi said before continuing, **"The ineptitude of Enma's wielder has been a glaring facet throughout this child's life and the Toad Sage has not been in this pathetic village since my sealing."**

"How… how could he…" The barely audible reply from the deceased Hokage cut through the oppressive silence, "He promised me he would take care of you and yo-" He abruptly cut himself off as realization dawned on his thoughtful features.

A few awkward moments passed in the silence before Naruto decided to ask something that had been floating around in his mind, "Why are you here anyways?"

Startled, the Yondaime looked thoughtful for a moment before a sheepish look crossed his features, his eyes scrunched up into fox-like slits, "Actually… I have no idea…" But while he may have been oblivious to the reason, it didn't escape his notice that a glint of recognition flashed in the bijuu's eyes before it vanished without a trace, _'So, it knows why I'm here…'_

Ignorant of the Yondaime's thoughts, the sound of Naruto face-vaulting reverberated through the room, "What! What do you mean you don't know how you got here?" Naruto yelled with annoyance at the other man as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Well," The Hokage let out thoughtfully, "the last thing I remember was floating around in the Death God's stomach. Then, I found myself here and after a few minutes you showed up."

"Wait, why the hell were you in a _God's_ stomach in the first place?" Naruto questioned. What the hell? From what he had gathered from his time at the orphanage, weren't you supposed to go to heaven to hell when you died? At least, that's what he thought was supposed to happen.

"Well that has to do with the jutsu I used to seal the Kyuubi into you" The Yondaime stated.

Wincing slightly, Naruto nodded. The Kyuubi and its sealing was still a pretty sore subject for him, having just come to terms with the fact that he actually had the beast within him.

Seeing Naruto nod, he continued, "While all jutsu have a cost, it is usually just some of your chakra, which is automatically composed of equal parts mental energy that we gain from exercise and experience and physical energy that is inherent in all the cells in our body. The higher the level of jutsu is, the more chakra it's going to cost to perform it." He paused for a moment to see if Naruto was following him, and was pleased to see he was.

Easily slipping into lecture mode, he continued, "Now, there are some jutsu in the world that require more than just chakra, and most of these can be categorized as kinjutsu, and their forbidden for a reason. For example, the technique **Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)** requires not only chakra, but a small sacrifice of the user's blood. Considering what the technique does, that's not that big of a deal."

Naruto nodded at the last part of the lecture. While he may not have paid much attention to Iruka-sensei's lectures at the Academy, he still liked to learn about cool and powerful jutsu and when Iruka had mentioned this one, he had paid rapt attention. He could only hope that he could one day learn to summon.

"Now, the jutsu I used is called **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)**, a forbidden fuuinjutsu or otherwise known as sealing technique. Using it, I was able to call upon the Death God's help and rip out the soul of the Kyuubi and well, seal it into you. The cost of this though, was that the Death God got to eat my soul in return and keep it for eternity, a soul for a soul, a life for a life. _That_ is why I was in a God's stomach." Finished with his lecture, the Yondaime looked at Naruto and was surprised to find a guilt ridden expression on his face.

Naruto, on the other hand, had just come to terms with the fact of how much the Fourth Hokage had actually sacrificed to seal away the beast. The man had not only sacrificed his life for the good of the village, but his very _soul_ for the rest of eternity to be tormented, and top it all with the fact that he was denying an innocent child any chance at leading a normal, happy life. Hell, he must have died feeling more guilt that should have been physically possible for a single person. And here he was, hating the man for burdening him with something so inconsequential compared to what he had to sacrifice to achieve it.

In a shaky voice, Naruto spoke out, "You, you had to give up _so much_ to seal the Kyuubi into me and all I did was hate you in return, really and truly hate you. I never even thought about what you had to give up… I'm a horrible person." He finished, ashamed of himself.

Had he looked up, he would have seen a small, gentle smile grace the Yondaime's face, _'I knew you were the right choice Naruto and that you would make me proud.'_

Letting out a small sigh, he walked up to Naruto and put a hand reassuring hand onto his shoulder, "Naruto, look at me." He ordered in a soft tone.

Naruto did as asked, and the older blonde's heart broke as he gazed into ashamed blue eyes, "Naruto, what I did was of my own choice. It was _my_ choice to be the one to seal the Kyuubi instead of letting Sandaime-sama do it, it was _my_ choice to seal it into you, of all newborns, and above all, it was _my_ choice to sacrifice everything that I had so that the villagers and shinobi alike of Konoha could live to see another sunrise. Don't ever feel guilt or ashamed of the choices that _I_ made and the sacrifices that I had to make for them."

"Hai…" Naruto replied with a small fox grin on his face. The Fourth Hokage was right, why should he feel guilt? It was his choice about what he did to save his village and as someone that didn't get many choices on what he could do in life, he had to respect that.

The Yondaime's grin only widened, "Well, now th-" He was abruptly cut off as a faint, incessant ringing sound reached the massive room, "What the hell…" he trailed off in the end, just as confused as everyone else in the room.

A few moments passed before realization dawned onto Naruto's visage, "Oh, that's alarm clock." He said absentmindedly before, "Oh damn it, how the hell do I get out here!?"

"**Allow me…"** The Kyuubi grumbled out. Tendrils of crimson yokai slithered forth from the cage, and coalescing around the younger boy's form, eerily similar to how it had done not too long ago to the older blond.

Slowly, Naruto's ethereal form started to dematerialize. Naruto watched as his hands slowly faded from view, "That's so cool…" he said absentmindedly before a thought struck him, "Hey wait! How do I get back here?"

Surprisingly, it was the Kyuubi that answered his question, **"Just think of this place before you go to sleep brat. That should bring you here." **And with that, the great Youma went back to gazing at the two of them with its calculating eyes.

The Fourth looked on, watching the rest of the blond disappear to the world of the living as a single thought crossed his mind, _'Good bye…son.' _

Deciding it was time to get onto more pressing matters, he fully turned towards the gigantic cage that housed the corporeal bijuu, intent on getting answers, "Alright Kyuubi, spill it. I know you know why I'm here." He demanded.

Being the immortal and evil demon that it was, Kyuubi replied in kind, **"Why should I enlighten you fool? But if you feel the need to know, just take a good look at my prison."**

A little perturbed at the demons request, he cautiously made his way closer to the bars of the cage. Approaching the gate, he saw that there were miniature spider web like cracks running along the length of the bars.

Seeing nothing strange other than the cracks, he was about to ask the fox what was wrong when n eerie black light caught his attention, _'What the hell?'_

He watched on in fascination as one of the cracks slowly mended itself until nothing was left of its existence, "What's going on Kyuubi?" he asked the bijuu.

"**That mortal, was the chakra used to make the Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment) recharging itself, for a lack of better term."** The fox started, lowering its head to get a better view of the Yondaime as it entered lecture mode.

"B-but how is that possible!" If the seal was weakening already…he shuddered at the implications of that

"**The seals not weakening fool, as much as I would want that,"** The fox's voice brought him out of his panic, **"The gaki just accidently used some of the Shinigami's chakra that was used to compose the seal."**

Now he was even more confused, the Shinigami's chakra? He had always thought that **the Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment) **used the chakra of the caster, "What do you mean the Shinigami's chakra? I thought that I had used my chakra to create the seal."

At this the fox just bared its teeth in a superior grin, **"Foolish mortal, did you really think you had the power to seal me just by yourself?" **It asked with amusement, **"Even if you gave up your entire being, you still could not generate enough chakra to craft a seal that could bind me. Maybe for the first four bijuu's but you cannot even hope to match my power, so in return, the Shinigami used his own chakra to fashion a seal to imprison me."**

Now that made sense, so that would mean that the **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment) **was composed of the Death God's chakra, while the glowing blue kanji on the gate was the **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki (Sealing Method of the Eight Trigrams)**, created from layering two **Shishou Fuuin (Four Image Seal)** and composed of his own chakra.

He was broken out of his thoughts as the fox continued, **"That is connected as to why you are here. Since the gaki used the chakra that made the seal, it had to be recharged. Thus the seal is taking more chakra from the Shinigami to "fix" itself." Since the God is just a corporeal mass of chakra with a consciousness, you were transported here with the chakra that the seal took."**

"I guess that makes sense," The Fourth thought to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "The seal was a first of its kind and I had no idea as to what side effects it may have." Suddenly a thought occurred to him causing him to narrow his eyes in mistrust, "Why are you helping us?"

The old being seemed almost thoughtful for a moment before he answered, **"Demons are limited by the instincts they are created with, it is something that they cannot ignore. Thus, they can only accomplish so much in their immortal life. But ever since I have been sealed into this boy, I have felt what he has felt, and it has only gotten better since he has become a shinobi. By helping you two, it will result in more entertainment for me."**

"So you don't mind being imprisoned?" asked the Hokage, still inspecting the seals on the gate.

"**Time means nothing to me mortal." **The Kyuubi grumbled out, **"Although it is irksome that I was caught like some wild animal, I have been entertained greatly by the sheer amount of conflict your son goes through every day of his life." **It finished with a fanged grin.

For the first time since he had met the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Fourth's eyes showed true terror, "H-how do you know that!"

A positively malicious laughter filled the dark room, making the water ripple beneath the Hokage's feet, **"Did you really think that I would not find out? I knew he was your son the day that you sealed me into him. Who wouldn't want to give their future family the power of the most powerful demon in existence while simultaneously saving his village at the same time?"**

"That's not true." He yelled through gritted teeth as he clenched his fists.

"**Is it not?" **The Kyuubi asked, a tinge of mockery leaking into its voice,** "You knew what Uchiha Madara was trying to accomplish, so you guaranteed your son's safety by sealing me into him. Otherwise, you could have easily taken me with you into the Death God, instead of going through all the trouble of sealing me and ruining his future."**

The Fourth lowered his head, knowing that the beast was telling the truth. He could have easily taken the Kyuubi with him, but with the knowledge of what was coming in the future, he had wanted to leave behind a protector for Konoha, and who better than his own son with the power of the most powerful Bijuu at his beck and call.

What he hadn't taken into consideration, well, more like hadn't really given any thought, was the idiocy of the villagers of Konoha. He had thought that the villagers would treat his son with the respect he deserved. There had been other jinchuuriki in the ninja world that were horribly mistreated, but he had really thought that the people of Konoha would rise above the rest and treat his son like the hero he was. He shook his own head and chuckled morbidly at his own naivety, obviously he was mistaken.

"I'll make it right…" He quietly said to himself with determination, "I may be dead, but I'll give my son the family he deserves if it's the last thing I do." Resolve shining in his eyes, he looked up into the eyes of the Kyuubi, challenging it to prove him wrong, "You won't have to be alone anymore Naruto, I'll make sure of it!"

And he knew exactly how he would accomplish that, but first, he needed to find them. But as he was about to speak up again, he noticed his body starting to disappear, just like Naruto's a few minutes ago.

Looking up at the fox, he didn't have to wait long for an explanation, **"Now that the boy is waking up, his connection to the Spirit World is getting weaker, thus you are disappearing. It seems that you can only exist in this realm while the boy is asleep, when his connection with the Spirit World is strongest. That or when he is near death."** The beast added, almost as an afterthought.

The Youma let out a dark laugh as he leered at the disappearing man, deciding to leave him with something to ponder about,** "That boy of yours may not know right now, but he will figure it out eventually. As it is, he already has his suspicions."**

As the Yondaime completely faded from view, the dark chuckling of the beast following his return to endless oblivion.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The alarm clock blared loudly in the morning light as the digits flashed on and off, signifying 7:30 am and slowly awakening the blond from his drowsy sleep. Yawning loudly, he slowly stood up and headed towards the broken bathroom door, his body still running on autopilot.

Stripping down, he groggily got into the shower and turned the water on, slightly hissing in pain as the scalding hot water ran down his skin. _'Stupid landlord, always leaving the water heater on full.'_ He had tried to get him to turn it down, but the bastard always denied it.

Tired of cursing the landlord, the young blonde slowly stepped out of the shower, shivering slightly as the cool morning air hit his frame.

Drying himself off with a nearby towel, one of the few that he had, he put on his orange jumpsuit and headed towards the kitchen. Once there, he started to boil up some water for his morning breakfast of ramen.

Leaving the water to boil, he sat down at his unsteady dining table and looked out the window towards the Hokage Monument. Coming up to the face of the Yondaime, memories flooded his ramen deprived mind as the events of the night replayed in his head, _'I can't believe that actually happened…'_

Snapping out of his thoughts, he got up and poured the boiling water on top of the noodles, waiting the three mind-numbing minutes before wasting little time in finishing them off.

Putting his bowl into the leaking kitchen sink, Naruto looked towards the clock to see that it was almost 8:30 am. He was already thirty minutes late, usually meeting up with his team at the bridge at 8:00 am. _'Well, it's not like Kakashi-sensei said when to meet up yesterday.'_ Shrugging in indifference, Naruto walked out of his apartment and locking the door behind him, took off at a casual gait towards his destination.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The sun was high in the sky when he finally approached the bridge that Team 7 used as a meeting place. His face held a contemplative look instead of the usual smile, his thoughts once again drifting back to his meeting with the Kyuubi and the Yondaime the night before.

'_Though I know how to get back to wherever the hell I was, what if Yondaime-sama isn't there anymore? I really didn't find out why he was there in the first place.' _Still trapped in his thoughts, he didn't notice the odd looks the other two members of his team were sending him at his thoughtful expression. Usually the blonde would come running towards the bridge, screaming his head off.

'_Dobe's probably just thinking about ramen and Sakura.'_Sasuke thought to himself. He might have been surprised by the Dobe's thoughtful expression, but put it off as something only the dead last would think of.

Sakura, while also surprised with the thoughtful expression -'_**Seems like he can think after all.'**_Inner Sakura added helpfully- was more than relieved that he hadn't already asked her for a date; it really did get annoying after a while. Fortunately, now she could spend more time asking her Sasuke-kun out. She knew he loved her, after all, who could resist her charm, he was just too cool to admit it out in public and near Naruto.

And that was how the next two hours were spent, Sasuke brooding about Itachi and his upcoming training session with Kakashi, Sakura thinking of ways to make her Sasuke-kun like her more while every once in a while asking for a date, only to be repeatedly shot down.

Naruto, on the other hand, had switched to thinking about what Kakashi would teach him after what he had done on the last mission. Surely he had proved himself to be good ninja after defeating a shinobi that not even the 'Rookie of the Year' Sasuke could beat.

This was the scene that Hatake Kakashi arrived to; Naruto quietly thinking to himself while leaning against the tree that he had 'poofed' into, Sakura in the process of asking Sasuke out on a date, and Sasuke discreetly looking at Naruto, a scheming look in his eyes. A bead of sweat ran down his brow as he chuckled nervously to himself, whatever had happened to the team's dynamic?

Deciding that everything will eventually work itself out, Kakashi crinkled his eye into his patented eye-smile and raised his hand in greeting, "Yo!"

Naruto glanced up at him as Sasuke and Sakura got up and made their way towards him. As Sakura got closer to them, she suddenly took in a deep breath before shouting out, "YOU'RE LATE!"

Kakashi slightly sweat dropped at his only female student, trying to think of an excuse, "Well, you see, and old lady needed help to get to her apart-"

He was suddenly and abruptly cut off again at Sakura's cry of, "LIAR!" Wincing slightly at the volume, he was surprised to find that Naruto hadn't joined his crush in calling him on his tardiness. Usually, both Naruto _and_ Sakura would 'reprimand' him on his lateness, but it seemed that Naruto was actually thinking of something else entirely. He wouldn't have been surprised to find Sasuke just as dumbfounded at Naruto's silence as he was.

Meanwhile, Naruto himself was rubbing his ears to get rid of the ringing the supersonic yell had caused. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered him since he would have yelled along side of her, his own voice preparing his ears for the dual shouts, but since he hadn't spoken as much as a sentence since waking up; his eardrums weren't prepared to handle a yell of such high decibels, _'God damn it, was she always this loud?'_ He quietly thought to himself.

Kakashi's smile didn't falter in the slightest, used to the unusual greetings of his team by now, "Anyways, I'm giving you guys the rest of the day off," all three of the genin sweat dropped at that. They had waited three hours just so he could tell them they didn't need to come?

Kakashi continued on, oblivious to their dark looks, "Hokage-sama has a mission that he needs me to do," Both Sakura and Naruto missed the look he sent Sasuke, "but I'll be back by tomorrow." Reaching into three different pouches that were sown onto his jounin vest, he pulled out three different coloured scrolls.

Handing a blue one to Sasuke, a pink one to Sakura, and an orange one to Naruto, he went on to explain what they were for, "These scrolls have some instructions onto different training methods that you might find beneficial, along with a jutsu or two that I thought might suit you." Seeing as his job was done, he decided it was time to go, "Well, that's all for today. Ja ne!" And with that, he poofed out of the clearing.

Naruto quickly opened his scroll, eager to find out what his sensei had given him while silently hoping for something cool. Unfurling the short scroll, he quickly read the title, _'The Finer Aspects of Chakra Control… What, that's it?'_

Quickly glancing down the page, he saw two exercises listed, the Tree Walking exercise, which he had already completed and one that he hadn't even heard of or thought possible called Water Walking.He quickly remembered the battle between Zabuza and Kakashi on the bridge; at least it was something useful.

Further down the scroll, another topic was written, _'What the… Proper Shinobi Dress: Look and Feel like a Ninja.'_

Deciding to see what his teammates got, Naruto silently got up and made his way towards Sakura, who was already half way through her scroll titled, "The Usage and Application of Genjutsu". Further down the scroll, he saw the Kakashi-sensei had left her a C-Rank genjutsu to learn called **Byouretsu no Jutsu (Violent Sickness Technique)**.

Feeling slightly left out but still positive that Sasuke had gotten something similar to his, he made his way over to the teme. After all, Sakura had the best chakra control out of all of them; she was ready for a jutsu.

Naruto eyes widened as Sasuke unfurled a scroll easily three times as long as his titled, "Elemental Affinities and Elemental Re-composition of Chakra: Level I" It listed all of the chakra control exercises he had gotten, along with two jutsu from what he could see, and a blank piece of rectangular paper.

'_Elemental affinities, but that's usually for chuunin level ninja.'_ Naruto thought to himself sullenly. From what he could remember about elemental affinities from Iruka-sensei's lectures at the academy, you didn't begin to study them until you had become at least a chuunin.

Biting his lip and clenching his eyes shut, he valiantly tried to keep the feelings of uselessness from resurfacing. Even after what he had accomplished on their last mission, Kakashi-sensei still didn't think of him as a competent ninja. He was at least hoping for a single jutsu, anything to _help_ him fight better, but what did he get, chakra control exercises and a manual on how a ninja should properly dress.

Quietly rolling up his scroll and shoving it into his pocket, Naruto wiped away the tears that had collected in his eyes. At least the information _was_ useful; his teachers at the academy always did say he had horrible chakra control although they did never try to help him. After all, it was better if the demon brat stayed weak and unable to be a threat than get stronger. But this little piece of information did little to ease the pain in his chest, the feeling that even after all he had done, he would always remain inferior to Sasuke in the eyes of his sensei. It was _him_ who had succeeded in defeating Haku, not Sasuke, although he still wasn't sure how. His memory of that time seemed to be extremely hazy. He knew it was there, but for the life of him he couldn't recall what he did.

Strengthening his resolve, he decided that it was time to pay his oji-san a visit. He still needed to talk to him about the freaky thing that happened to his eyes, and while he was there, maybe he could ask him for some tips on training.

Along with that, he resolved to go to a clothing store after his visit to the Hokage Tower. While Kakashi-sensei's scroll may not be what he had wanted, it _was_ still useful to him and there was a new exercise in there that he could try.

Tightening his fists, he made his way off of Training Ground 7 and towards the Hokage Tower when a thought suddenly occurred to him, _'Hey, why don't I try asking the Yondaime for some help.'_

**XXXXXXXXX**

Sarutobi slowly packed his pipe with tobacco, and using a very basic Katon jutsu called **Katon: Takitsuke (Fire Igniter)**, lit it. Taking a long drag, he waited for the calming effects of the opiate to take hold. He had recently received a message from one of the ANBU that patrolled the village, just as he had instructed them to that Jiraiya had been seen flittering around in Konoha.

Exhaling a plume of grey smoke out of his mouth, he tried to calm his frayed nerves as his student walked in through the door of his office, "Alright, here I am old man. Now what do you want? I've still got a lot of research to do and the women of Otafuku Gai are waiting for me." Jiraiya said a slightly perverted grin on his face.

Sarutobi looked at his student; the years had certainly been kind to him. The Toad Sennin was very tall, easily taller than his withered husk and had snow white hair cascading down his back in an odd, spiky style. He still didn't wear a Konoha headband, opting to wear an strange, horned plate with the symbol for "Oil" on it. He dressed in kabuki styled clothing and his face had two, bright crimson streaks running down his cheeks to underneath his chin.

"Jiraiya," The Sandaime began, and Jiraiya was startled to hear the seriousness in the old man's voice. Rarely before had he ever heard The Professor sound so grim and now that he took the time to get a good look at him, his entire stature seemed tense, as if he didn't want to talk about whatever reason he was called here for and showing the old man that he really was, "we need to talk."

Jiraiya raised a silver eyebrow at the comment. He had learned at least one thing from his many, _many_ adulterous escapades.

Nothing good _ever_ followed that sentence and he was about to find out just how right he was.

**XX AN XX **

And there you have it, how was it? You know the drill, read and review.

On a side note, _please_ critique my writing on how I can make it better. Reviews by themselves, while great, do not help me become a better writer.

How about this… If I get 40 reviews for this chapter, I'll have a **lemon** in the next chapter. Ha, bribery is the best motivation…

**And as some of you might be wondering, yes, I will be bringing out the worst of people from the Narutoverse, their failures, their ineptitudes, and anything I think they could have done better, and they will be… **_**reprimanded**_** for it in this fic.**

Oh, and you better thank my Beta; **weixuan18** for Beta'ing this and possibly future chapters.

_Preview of __Future__ chapter_:

"You think you're a god?" An enshrouded figure questioned quietly, his voice dripping with twisted amusement. The desolate battle field that surrounded the duo did nothing to hide the feeling of death that hung ominously in the air.

A flare of black miasma exploded off of his form, painting his shape an infinite black and showing off his tremendous might. The opposing body looked on with silent contemplation before the enshrouded figure spoke again, his voice becoming as empty as the vacant energy that poured off of his frame, "I'll show you a real God…"

Sound Interesting…

**XX AN XX**


	4. Sensei, Student, Sex

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** MatrixExplosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 9,805**  
**

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** April 12, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

You people are freakin' awesome, I mean seriously, **39** reviews alone for the last chapter and I wasn't really all that serious with the, "If I get 40 reviews I'll write a lemon" bribe. But still, I included one near the end of this chapter.

Anyways, Chapter 04, hope you like it.

**LEMON FURTHER AHEAD… **

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 04 – Sensei, Student, Sex**

Jiraiya looked on towards his sensei, a bead of nervous sweat glistening down his brow. For the past ten minutes, he had done nothing but sit in the plush and admittedly comfortable chair and watch as the Sandaime regarded him with thoughtful eyes, a wide variety of emotions flashing through them at regular intervals ranging from sadness, apprehension, and…fear? That was strange, why would the God of Shinobi have anything to fear from him?

Whatever it was, he knew that it was something that he wasn't going to like.

The Toad Sannin was startled out of his thoughts as the Hokage let out a deep sigh, seemingly resigning himself to something before he looked up at him, "Jiraiya, something has come up that I desperately need your help in resolving, otherwise I would haven't have needlessly called you out here."

Seeing Jiraiya about to interrupt him, he held up his hand to stall any forthcoming comments. He had finally scrounged up enough courage to start; he didn't think he'd be able to continue if interrupted, "In light of that, there is some… information that had been kept from you about someone that we once both held dear that you will need to know." The Professor's eyes quickly flashed up to the wall on Jiraiya's left before coming back to rest on him, and following his line of sight, he saw that he had looked at the portrait of the Yondaime from when he was inaugurated as the Fourth Hokage.

Jiraiya's quick mind and sharp intellect quickly began to create a feasible scenario as to what could be happening, _'Apparently it has something to do with Minato, but why would he bring it up now of all times. I haven't been in the village for over 12 years, so anything could have happened…'_ He finished forlornly, that was one of the few things that he actually regretted in his life, but with what had happened one that fateful night twelve years ago, he could never find the need to come back.

Meanwhile, the Sandaime was mulling over how to deliver the information before mentally sighing and deciding just to get it over with, the consequences would be dealt with later, "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room under any circumstances," He said, making Jiraiya focus his gaze on him again. The next four words would undoubtedly mean more to Jiraiya than him trying to explain it.

"Namikaze Naruto is alive…"

The Hokage looked on as Jiraiya's thoughtful expression changed into one of shock, "Wh-what did you say...?" He stuttered out in a shaky voice, memories of two ashen bodies, lying on the barren and desolate ground rose to the forefront of his mind as his face slowly twisted into a rage filled glare. But even as he watched Jiraiya begin to shake with fury, he could have never anticipated this reaction.

Killing intent exploded forth from Jiraiya and encompassed his frame, the smoke from his pipe freezing in his lungs as pure terror froze the very core of his soul. The air fled his lungs, the killing intent feeling like a solid blow against his withered frame. He absentmindedly noted that the two ANBU hidden in his office were frozen from the killing intent spilling out from the Sannin like a broken dam, futilely trying to break the paralysis and stop the enraged shinobi.

While ANBU members may not be able to overcome a Sannin's killing intent, he wasn't a Hokage just for the show of it. He quickly regained his composure and returned the killing intent with his own potent blast, cancelling out Jiraiya's and freeing the ANBU from their paralysis. They leapt forward, intent on disabling the enraged Jiraiya, but a quick hand sign from the Hokage stopped them in their tracks.

Seconds passed before a quiet voice drifted through the air, "You _**lied**_, to me of all people…" Jiraiya hissed out in a baleful whisper, "You had said his son had _died_… Why didn't you tell me…? I was supposed to be his _damn godfather_, I was supposed to take care of him, look after him after Minato and Kushina left and you _never told me_! I would have taken him with me…" Jiraiya had stood up half way through his tirade and was currently leaning over the ashamed Hokage.

"Wait, just let me expla-" The elder of the two quickly tried to explain, but was abruptly cut of as the Sannin cut in.

"Where is he!?" Jiraiya demanded angrily. Seeing the Hokage about to say something again, he quickly interrupted, "Damn it Sarutobi, I want to see my fucking _god son_!" Sarutobi winced at that remark, whenever Jiraiya had referred to him in the past; it was either with a respectful sensei or an affectionate old man, never with his clan name.

"Please Jiraiya, just let me explain…" The Sandaime begged. Taken aback, Jiraiya slowly leaned back and sat back down into his chair. In all the years he had been with the man, from their genin days until the day he took on a genin team of his own; he had never heard his sensei sound so defeated, so… broken. Plus, this was the first time his teacher had ever truly asked for something from him so sincerely.

Looking up, he was happy to see that his student was once again sitting down in his chair, seemingly giving him a chance, "I may be the Hokage Jiraiya, but even I can only do so much for one person. As you know, I only have jurisdiction over the military affairs of this village; it is the council's job to attend to the civilian population and take care of them. Because of that, it was up to them to decide of what to do of Naruto and his future, seeing as he was obviously not a shinobi at that time."

"But you should have told me, I would have taken him from this village and raised him, taken care of him and taught him how to be ninja." Jiraiya tried to reason.

"And then what!" The Sandaime yelled, finally losing his temper. Quickly calming himself, he reigned in his anger and took a few deep breaths, "And then what Jiraiya? What would I have told the council, that you took the jinchuuriki of _the_ Kyuubi no Kitsune to go gallivant off to Kami-sama knows where? You know as well as I do that we cannot tell them about Naruto's heritage, with all the enemies Minato made on the council and higher up's within Konoha with his decisions during his reign as the Yondaime, who would have protected him? Not to mention all the enemies the boy would have had from outside of Konoha if word ever got out about who he truly is."

Jiraiya slumped down into his chair emotionally exhausted, the anger leaving his body worn and tired, "But you still could have told me, I could just as easily have stayed in Konoha."

The Hokage sighed in his chair, "You know I can't have that, you are too valuable to the village as an information gatherer to have you stay here. And even if you could, it wasn't my choice Jiraiya, if it had been, I would have told you immediately and gotten either you or Tsunade-chan to take care of him. As it was, the council decided that he would stay at the orphanage. Believe me Jiraiya, I regret every day that goes by that I didn't inform you of his survival. If I had, it might have saved him from this horrific life."

As he finished his tirade, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed in suspicious, "What do you mean a horrific life…" He whispered carefully, as if already knowing but dreading the answer. Naruto was not the first jinchuuriki to be documented, and he knew all too well the kinds of lives the others had led before their demise.

He silently cursed himself for his little slipup, now he would have to explain, "Naruto has not led the most… ideal life. Because he contains the Kyuubi, he has been shunned by both the villagers and ninja alike since the day he was born. Fortunately, there are some that believe him to be a hero for what he holds, just like the Fourth wanted." At this, a small smile flittered across his face as he remembered both Iruka and the two owners of the Ichiraku Ramen Stand, Teuchi and Ayame; at least the boy had some modicum of happiness in his life.

A quiet silence followed the end of the speech; both men engrossed in their thoughts of the jinchuuriki before Jiraiya remember why he had come here in the first place, "So old man, why did you call me here in the first place."

"Ah yes," He began, easily slipping into lecture mode, "Approximately two months ago, Team 7 consisting of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto with their sensei Hatake Kakashi went on a rudimentary C-rank mission. Unfortunately, we were lied to about the mission statistics, and they were ambushed by the Demon Brothers. Kakashi was easily able to subdue the two brother and would have continued the mission as a B-rank had the A-rank missing nin Momochi Zabuza not attacked. Luckily, they were able to survive to encounter and continue on with the mission, which had by now risen to an A-rank because of the presence of Zabuza."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "They were once again approached my Momochi Zabuza, and his apprentice, Haku. Kakashi killed Zabuza, while Naruto proceeded to kill Haku." He absentmindedly looked up to see a grim expression on Jiraiya's face, mirroring his own when he had first heard the report, "That is not what troubles me though, when Naruto killed Haku, Kakashi described feeling a most…disturbing aura, one I felt 12 years ago when the Kyuubi was sealed."

Suddenly getting up from his chair, the Sandaime walked over to the portrait of the Fourth and took it off the wall, revealing a plain wall. Coating his finger in chakra, Jiraiya watched as he proceeded to outline a seemingly invisible symbol, that is, until a glowing blue seal appeared wherever the Professor had traced over.

The seal seemed to pulse once, before unravelling into a perfect square outline and sliding to the right, revealing a hidden compartment filled to the brim with scrolls and envelopes.

Reaching in, the Hokage pulled out a medium sized and elegant scroll, much like the ones for Summoning Animals, with the kanji for **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)** imprinted on it.

Walking back to his chair, he quickly sat down and unfurled the parchment, revealing three signatures; Namikaze Minato, Namikaze Naruto, and Sarutobi Sasuke.

"That's the contract needed to use the **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)**, isn't it." Jiraiya asked.

"Hai, this was the contract that Minato signed to invoke the Death God's help. He had Naruto sign it also simply due to the fact that he was having the Kyuubi sealed into him, and my signature is there in the case that Minato would allow me to use the jutsu." The Sandaime said, and underlying tone of regret clearly visible.

"When Minato called forth Shinigami-sama, only three beings were able to see it, me, Naruto, and himself. Evidently, only the three of us were able to feel the _absolutely_ terrifying and powerful yet empty aura that the God exuded, the same aura that Kakashi felt when Naruto killed Haku."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes in thought while the Sandiame continued, "That is what troubles me and why I called you here, how could Naruto possess the same aura as the God of Death? You are the top Seal Master that our village has, so I want you to examine Naruto's seal and find any irregularities with it. I have a feeling that whatever happened on the bridge is connected with the seal."

Jiraiya absentmindedly nodded as he spoke his thoughts, "I guess I could do that, I need to see the gaki anyways, it's been twelve years since I last saw him. Now, do you know where he-"

He was cut off as a boisterous voice came through the closed door, "I don't care if jiji's in a meeting, I need to see him damn it!"

"Ah, speak of the devil." With that, the Hokage clicked a small button on his desk, "Misaki-chan, please let him in."

A few moments later, an exasperated voice floated through the intercom, "Hai Hokage-sama"

Both the Sannin and Hokage watched as the door slowly opened, the short blonde haired ninja walking in soon after with a scowl on his face. Jiraiya's eyes widened imperceptibly at the jinchuuriki's features, he truly was Minato's son.

Naruto quickly walked to the center of the room and stood right beside Jiraiya's chair. Scratching the back of his head, he gave the Sandaime a sheepish grin, "Hey jiji, I was wondering, could I talk to you…" his eyes quickly flashed towards Jiraiya, "…alone."

"Don't worry Naruto-kun; this is Jiraiya of the Sannin, he's actually here to see you, but we'll discuss that later." The Sandaime replied with a warm smile.

A few moments passed where Naruto looked at the Toad Sannin with scrutinizing eyes before he scoffed, "Are you sure this guys a Sannin, he sure doesn't look like much."

A tick developed above Jiraiya's eyes at the brat's dismissal of his awesomeness. He'd show this gaki just how great he was. Striking a pose, he began, "Why you little brat. Children look in awe at my sight and even the mightiest of villains bow before me. Ladies throughout the Shinobi World want me and men want to be me, I am the great Toad Sannin Jiraiya-sama!"

Both the Hokage and Naruto sweat dropped at the scene of the grown man dancing, "Sure you are…" Naruto drawled out.

"Why you little…" The Hokage let out an exasperated sigh as he watched his student behave like a child. Clearing his throat as a way to get their attention, he decided to save Naruto from Jiraiya's wrath, "As much as it amuses me to watch you two banter like children shall we get down to business?"

A sheepish grin adorned Naruto's features as he turned back to his adoptive grandfather, "Sorry oji-san…" He said before quickly dawning a serious expression. The Sandaime raised a greyed eyebrow at that, there were only a few times in the past that he had seen Naruto with such a look, and it almost always resulted in something serious.

"Something happened with my eyes last night jiji… After I woke up from a dream, I walked to my bathroom and looked into the mirror. Both my eyes had one blue and white triangle spinning in them. I watched it for a moment, and it kept on spinning until it started shrinking and then disappeared. I didn't know what it was, so I was hoping you would know something…" Naruto said as he trailed off in the end, hoping the Hokage knew something about it.

'_That seems eerily similar to what Kakashi described how his eyes looked during the event at Wave…but Naruto said his eyes only had one triangle and that it was blue. Kakashi said that at the bridge, his eyes had three triangles and they were red and black.' _Mulling over the situation for a few minutes, his eyes flashed as he came to a realization, _'It seems that Kyuubi has an influence on the possible Bloodline Limit. Now all I need to do is get Jiraiya to watch him over for a few days to see if it comes up again and find a trigger for it.'_

Knowing he shouldn't tell Naruto about something he wasn't about sure himself and give him false hope, he decided to just tell him what was necessary, "I'm sorry Naruto, but I don't know what it is," Ignoring Naruto's disappointed expression, he continued; he would make it up to him later, "Now is there anything else you wanted to ask me Naruto-kun?"

Thinking that he might as well ask the Sandaime for some help with his training, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the scroll that Kakashi-sensei had given him, showing it to the Sandaime in the process, "I was wondering…could you give me some tips on some type of training that I could do. I mean, Kakashi-sensei helps me, he even gave me this scroll on chakra control and proper shinobi training, but he gave Sasuke a scroll on Elemental Chakra Manipulation and even Sakura got a genjutsu technique. I need to learn more so I can help me team."

Skimming through the scroll, he let a slight grimace cross his face. From Kakashi's report on their mission to Wave, Naruto already knew most of the exercises on the scroll, so it wouldn't really be all that helpful to him. He resolved to have…_words_ with Kakashi later, he had already paid the price of playing favourites with his team, and he would not let Kakashi make the same mistake.

Sadly, he couldn't help the blonde genin himself, his duties as the Hokage of Konohagakure prevented that, but he could give him the next best thing, "Sorry Naruto, but I can't help you, this paperwork needs to be finished by the end of the day and I also have a meet-"

Naruto meanwhile, had been getting more and more dejected as he listened to his oji-san start listing off reasons. Was it just him or was the entire world against him, it seemed like nobody wanted to help out the 'Demon Brat' of Konoha. Putting on his patented fox smile to hide his growing sorrow, he decided it was better to just leave and practice from the scroll Kakashi-sensei had given him than continue to waste time here. Plus, he still had to get knew clothing…somehow, "Maa, it's okay jiji… I know you're busy and what kind of a future Hokage would I be if I couldn't even train myself."

The Hokage's heart ached as he looked on at the fake smile, hiding the feelings of uselessness and insignificance just lying beneath the surface, "Now don't get hasty Naruto, you didn't let me finish… I did say I wouldn't be able to help you, but that didn't mean Jiraiya here wouldn't be able to fill in for me."

Dual calls of "Nani!?" erupted from the two other figures in the office, both of shock and surprise.

"But why does it have to be him? I bet he doesn't even know anything to teach me!" Naruto whined, he would rather just go back to his team's training ground than go with the supposed Sannin.

The Sandaime let out a small chuckle at the indignant expression on Jiraiya's face, times with Naruto were never dull, "He may not look like much Naruto, but this man _did _train the Yondaime, the strongest ninja of the Hidden Leaf and possibly the world when he was alive. You could learn a lot from Jiraiya if you give him a chance."

Naruto's eyes lit up in glee, if this man had trained the strongest Hokage in existence, he _had _to be good, "_You_ trained Yondaime-sama!? Please, you have to train me!" Naruto said as he bowed towards the Toad Sannin in a show of his newly earned respect.

"So you finally recognized my greatness as a ninja brat?" Jiraiya said with an air of haughtiness around him, "Yes, I did train the Yondaime, and I could probably train you, but only for a little bit, I still have to complete my 'research' after all."

Happy that he had finally gotten powerful ninja to teach him after all, he decided that it was time to go and do his other errands for the day. Opening the door, he turned back towards the two elder men and gave a small bow towards the Hokage's desk, "Thanks for all the help jiji, I'll see you later Jiraiya-sensei!" And with that, he shut the door behind him and headed down the stairs.

Back with the Sannin and the Hokage, both were discussing the boy that had just left, "So, what did you think of him?" The elder of the two asked.

Jiraiya gave off a thoughtful sound before apparently thinking of what he was going to say, "Well, he definitely has Minato's looks, but that's about it. Every aspect of his personality is from Kushina, she was always a little firecracker." Smiling to himself at the memory of his prodigious student and his wife, he was shaken from his reminiscing as another thought occurred to him, "He doesn't look like much of a ninja though, even though I can feel his _absolutely_ gigantic chakra capacity, he behaves like a little brat that thinks too much of himself."

The Hokage smirked at the irony of the situation; he had said almost the exact same thing about the boy in front of him over thirty five years ago, but that same 'boy' was now one of the strongest shinobi in existence, "I assure you Jiraiya, with the proper training, Naruto could become a ninja that even exceeds the Yondaime's power and brilliance, all he needs is a chance. He has not had the most… _helpful_ of teachers throughout his life, and even his jounin sensei, Hatake Kakashi, thinks little of him, although he doesn't outwardly show it." A resigned expression crossed his face at that, even the man that believed in teamwork more than any other Konoha shinobi didn't believe in giving Naruto a chance, such was the boys fate it seemed.

Jiraiya's eyes flashed in anger as he heard about what Kakashi thought of Naruto. Just like the Sandaime a few minutes ago, he resolved to have _words_ with the elite jounin. Even if the scarecrow did not know of the boy's heritage by now, he should have at least fulfilled his sensei's -a man he looked up to as a father after his own father, Sakumo, committed seppeku- last wishes to treat the boy as a hero, "Don't worry about that sensei, I'll take care of the boy's training for now, although I won't be able to stay for long. I'll think of something more permanent later that will allow me to teach him for a longer extent."

A small smile crossed the Professor's face at that, at least Jiraiya would take an interest in Naruto's development, "Thank you Jiraiya, just make sure you do not give him anything too dangerous or forbidden, he is after all only a genin." He said before gaining a serious demeanour, "Also, I want you to try and get his eyes to change again along with examining his seal. Although I cannot be sure, I think he may have developed a doujutsu."

"Don't worry old man," Jiraiya said, a mischievous smirk adorning his features, "I won't teach him anything too bad, besides, he still has a long way to go in order to learn his father's prized techniques." Deciding he had spent enough time with his sensei, he turned towards the exit to take his leave, "Well, I gotta go see what the gaki's up to. I want to observe him for a few minutes in the village, see how they treat him with my own eyes." And with that, he left his mentor alone in his office to contemplate his thoughts.

Watching Jiraiya already jump from the rooftops of the village towards his destination, the Sandaime winced slightly at the last statement; he would not want to be near the Sannin when he saw how Naruto was treated. Luckily, he had been able to assign ANBU guards for Naruto now that he had become a genin, and as all other ninja, was now under his jurisdiction, not the council's. Although they were not allowed to interfere unless Naruto was in threat of bodily danger, he just hoped that nothing happened that would invoke Jiraiya's wrath upon the person that harmed Naruto.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Get out and don't come back!"

Naruto sighed as he was kicked out of yet another clothing store, the third one since he had left the Hokage's Office a little less than an hour ago. It truly did seem like the entire world was set against him today. While the majority of the villagers just ignored him or glared at him for his burden, there were quite a few that openly hated him, the shop owner, Kawazoe Yuusuke if he remembered correctly, was one of them.

Lately though, the latter group was getting less and less obvious of their hatred for him with every passing day. Nobody threatened him with bodily harm anymore, and he could walk down the streets without the fear of getting beaten just for showing his face.

Unknown to both him and the clerk that threw him out, Jiraiya stood atop the building parallel to the clothing store, silently writhing in his growing hatred of the village. For the past hour or so, he had watched as Naruto was denied service from each and every clothing store he had visited. He actually knew the clerk from the last one, Kawazoe Yuusuke, who was usually a very generous and kind man to almost everyone that visited his shop.

Coming up to another clothing store, he prayed to Kami-sama that this one would at least let him buy something. If he or she didn't, he resolved to go to the Hokage and ask for some assistance.

A small bell chimed above him as he opened the door, alerting the clerk of his presence. The store owner looked up slowly, looking at him for a few moments and then going back to whatever he was doing.

'_Finally!'_ Naruto thought, heaving a mental sigh of relief. At least some people were apathetic towards his condition and status as the village pariah.

As Naruto walked up and down the aisles of clothing, he noticed that the shop was mostly aimed towards the shinobi and kunoichi population, _'Well that explains why the owner didn't throw me out.' _He thought ruefully to himself. While almost all of the villagers hated him, most of the newer generation of shinobi and kunoichi were at least lenient of his presence; the older generation being the one that wanted nothing to do with him.

Going to the darker section of clothing since the scroll had said that a ninja needed to be stealthy, while still maintaining manoeuvrability and having the ability to conceal weapons, the blonde picked out five midnight black shinobi pants that were lined with pockets, much like his chronically tardy sensei. Along with the pants, he picked out five similar shirts, all black with a dark maroon red spiral embedded on the back. To complete the assembly, he picked up a single crimson red jounin-like vest. They were made to be durable; it was not like he needed more than one.

Nodding to himself absentmindedly, he turned back around and headed to the dressing room. Five minutes later, he emerged fully clothed in his new assembly. Walking up to a full length mirror, he was happy to see that he looked pretty good, if he does say so himself. The black clothing contrasted sharply with his sun-kissed blonde hair and brought the deep cobalt of his eyes out, a simple yet effective assembly.

Looking down, he frowned slightly as he saw his worn and torn sandals; he would need some durable shoes to go along with the new clothing. Rather than looking for them himself, he decided to go to head to the register and just ask the clerk.

Putting his remaining four pairs of shirts and pants, along with his crimson vest and his old orange jumpsuit onto the counter, Naruto waited as the clerk totalled everything up. After a few minutes, "Anything else you need brat?"

Naruto scowled slightly at the man but quickly reigned in his irritation, it would not be a good thing for him to get angry at the only person that was willing to see him actual clothing, "Yes sir, I was wondering, do you have durable, black shoes, size 9 please."

The clerk turned around without a word and went to the back of the store, rummaging around for a few minutes before apparently finding whatever he was looking for.

"Here," he said as he came back to the counter. As he placed the shoes onto the counter beside the pile of clothing, Naruto saw that they looked like the typical shoes that civilians wore, only made from a tougher material and lined with what looked like metal strips along the front and heel, obstinately providing both protection and more blunt force damage behind his taijutsu attacks.

He was brought out of his thoughts of their usefulness as he clerk spoke up again, a single shoe in his hand, "These are the ones that most shinobi buy these days, mostly for their incredible durability and comfort. But the real reason they buy it is because of this." And with that, a three inch, midnight black switch blade extended from the front of the shoe before retreating just as quickly.

"As you can see…" the clerk continued, showing Naruto a little slit in the front of the shoes, "There is a three inch long switch blade that can be extended and retracted with chakra."

'_That would be so useful'_ Naruto thought in awe while the clerk added the price of the shoes to his total, "Alright, that'll be 18,128 ryo please."

Naruto winced slightly at the price; he had never bought anything nearly as expensive as his new wardrobe. Reaching into the pocket of his old jumpsuit that was on the counter -_'I can't believe I almost forgot about my wallet in there…"_ he thought absentmindedly- he pulled out his trusty Gama-chan and took out the amount of money needed as the clerk quickly put everything into carrying bags.

Handing him the money, Naruto quietly summoned two **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)** to carry the bags for him, not noticing the incredulous expression or wide eyes of astonishment on the clerks face at his feat.

Walking to the exit, Naruto turned back around as he sent his clone ahead of him to his apartment, after all he still needed to go and train from the scroll that Kakashi sensei had given him, "Thank you for your help mister, I really appreciate it." Naruto said in a kind voice accompanied by a small bow.

Smiling slightly at the respectful tone, the clerk replied in kind, "Don't worry about it brat, come back any time you need new clothing."

Nodding in his direction, Naruto walked out of the shop and towards his team's training ground.

'_So that's the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune…'_ the still nameless clerk thought to himself, _'He's not half as bad as all the rumours I've heard of him.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto wasn't surprised that he made his way back to the training ground in a little less than fifteen minutes; it wasn't like it was all that far away from where he had been. What did surprise him though was the fact that Sakura lay there on the ground, seemingly unconscious to the world.

He quickly obtained two kunai from the pouches on his new pants, one in each hand as he exploded towards his female teammate and crush at a full on sprint, panic rising in his chest. What if they had been attacked while he has been away? After all, Sasuke _was_ from the most prestigious clan in Konoha, no matter how big of a bastard he was, who wouldn't want him a part of his or her village, whether willingly or not.

He abruptly came to a stop at her side as he heard the faintest of whispers com from the unconscious kunoichi, "Oh Sasuke-kun… I didn't know you could be so kinky!" Sweat dropping at the mumblings of the fan girl, he took a moment to actually look at his surrounding and found Sasuke training not far off in front of a river, soaking wet and seemingly oblivious to his arrival.

It was then that Naruto noticed the open genjutsu scroll lying beside Sakura and everything began making sense. Neither Sakura nor Sasuke had been attacked by enemy ninja as he had so wrongly assumed when he had rushed towards her prone figure, she had just exhausted her chakra and had fallen unconscious, after all, chakra exhaustion was no laughing matter, or so he had heard, never having experienced it himself.

Little did he know though, was that she had fallen unconscious after her first attempt of the C-rank genjutsu **Byouretsu no Jutsu (Violent Sickness Technique)**, her measly chakra reserves nowhere near the amount needed to accomplish the task despite her phenomenal control.

Convincing himself that she was okay, Naruto decided to leave her be and headed towards his other teammate who was currently glaring at the water as if trying to set it on fire with his hatred alone, "Hey teme, how's training goin'?"

Startled from his thoughts, Sasuke whipped his head around to look at the intruder, only to see his orange loving teammate, now clad in black, "Get lost dobe, I don't have time to fool around with you today." The Uchiha scion replied with a growl, turning his cobalt black eyes back to the water.

"Man, what crawled up his emo ass and died…" Thinking that it would be better to train away from his team and the irritable Uchiha for the time being, he decided to walk further down the clearing to look for a more suitable place, his new shoes clanking happily against the ground.

_30 Minutes Later…_

Naruto grumbled to himself angrily, for the past thirty minutes he had done nothing but walk through the seemingly endless forest of trees, trying to find an appropriate clearing to train in. Though luck seemed to be on his side as the endless forest of trees began to thin out and Naruto soon found himself pushing through a mesh of thick undergrowth and pink petals and into clearing.

"…Wow…!" Naruto whispered quietly as he took in his surroundings, the clearing was _absolutely _beautiful. A large pillar of granite was embedded on the far left side of the glade, its top having been carved into a flat area ideal for sitting. Five Sakura tree's in full bloom surrounded the pillar in a semi circle, their petals listlessly floating to the ground and coating the pillar in a layer of fragrance and comfort.

The rest of the glade was an ideal place to train. To the north an amalgamation of flat land and rough dirt was evident, a perfect place to set up training logs and whatnot. Further down to the east, sparse clusters of huge trees sat, easily dwarfing the ones that he saw on his way to Wave and a single, crystal clear lake ran through the length of the clearing before disappearing into the foliage and beyond.

Naruto gazed at everything that surrounded him, and unable to help himself…just stood there and laughed.

It was _perfect_!

Everything he would ever need to train in any ninja art was here. All he needed to do was set up some training posts and he would be set.

Deciding that he had spent enough time just gazing, he fished the scroll out of his pocket and walked towards the river, sitting down near the edge.

'_Alright now…let's see what this scroll has to say…'_

Unfurling it on the ground beside him, he quickly skipped down to the water walking exercise and began reading, "A skill that is a must for any ninja to have, water walking will not only help you drastically improve you chakra control, it will also allow you to physically walk on any liquid surface…"

As Naruto continued to read, he became more and more frustrated with the seemingly endless writing on useless explanations and worthless facts. Why couldn't they just tell you how to do it?

Skipping further down, Naruto let out a relieved sigh as he eventually found the steps for the procedure, "Unlike tree climbing, which only requires a layer of chakra to coat the bottom of one's feet to adhere to the innate chakra in the tree, water walking is slightly more complex."

"When attempting the exercise, the user must exude a steady stream of chakra through the soles of their feet and into the water below, creating a shallow surface of tightly compacted water molecules on which they can stand on top of. The amount of chakra needed to accomplish this feat will change depending on the velocity of the water, the temperature, and other such factors."

Pleased with what he had learned so far, the blonde jinchuuriki got up and walked towards the edge of the river, silently focusing his chakra into a steady stream to the soles of his feet with a ram seal.

Naruto attentively stepped out onto the water's surface, surprised to see that his foot was actually floating, "Hey, this isn't so hard…" he said as he brought his other foot onto the river.

Only to let out a strangled scream as his chakra ceased to support him and he plunged into the chilly stream.

Naruto broke through the surface and heaved himself to the shore, sputtering for air as his ravaged lungs coughed up the excess water, "Freakin' exercise, trying to kill me too…"

Sitting beside his scroll, the blonde took a few minutes to regain his breath before getting back up to try the exercise again…or he would have, if a sudden influx of memories hadn't bombarded his mind.

Naruto's eyes glazed over as the memories swept through his mind.

The two clones walked through the market district, the glares of the villagers following their every movement.

He watched through their eyes as they reached his apartment, the clone on the left fishing out the keys before opening the door and setting the bags down.

He almost laughed out loud as the two started playing cards, having nothing better to do before they dismissed themselves, becoming bored with their existence.

For Naruto, it had lasted not but an instance, but he somehow knew every single little detail about what his clones had gone through on their trek to his apartment.

'_W-what the hell was that all about!? How do I know what my_ clones_ did?'_ Naruto thought to himself in surprise. Knowing he would have to look into it further when he got back home, he carefully stepped out onto the stream once again, slightly increasing his chakra output.

Wobbling feet took a step forward, sinking slightly below the surface before rising to the surface again. Another step, then another, he couldn't believe how easy it was compared to the tree climbing exercise.

He grinned, he was so close, just a few more feet and he would have made it to the other side, "Just a little…bit…mo-"

"Hey brat, how's it going?" Jiraiya yelled, appearing in front of Naruto in a puff a white smoke.

"GHAH!" With a splash, Naruto found himself in the river yet again. Resurfacing, he looked up at the Sannin, and irritably scowl splayed across his foxy visage, "Where the hell did you come from?"

Completely ignoring the jinchuuriki's question, he continued on unperturbed of the increasing killing intent, "So, water waking huh, didn't think you'd be that far already."

Growling, Naruto pushed forward, "Why are you here…" Before brightening up as he thought of a possible reason, "Are you going to train me!?"

"Ungrateful brat," Jiraiya replied, "Of course I'm here to train you, what other reason would I have to be here. Now, try the water walking exercise again, I want to see how far you've gotten."

Naruto nodded and stepped out onto the water for the third time that day, easily staying afloat as he began to walk back and forth, "I already got it down Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya nodded in acceptance of Naruto's accomplishment; at least he wouldn't have to teach the boy the basics of chakra control. _'It seems that the more chakra he uses, the less control he needs. From what I heard of his mission to Wave, it took him a week to complete the tree climbing exercise, while water walking, that use at least triple the amount of chakra, only took him a little more than thirty minutes.'_

"Well gaki," Jiraiya said, ignoring Naruto's frown at his nickname, "It seems like you've completed the exercise. Now all you need to do is practice it."

Naruto slightly smiled at the praise, however little. It was more than anything Kakashi-sensei had ever given him, "So, what are you gonna teach me next sensei?" Naruto asked giddily.

Unbidden, a sheepish smile blossomed onto the Sannin's face, "Well…you see… I was actually planning on teaching you water walking today so you control would become better for my other techniques, but since you've already completed it, I don't know what else I can teach you today."

Naruto's eyes flashed with sadness, emotions that Jiraiya had felt himself when he was a genin. The feeling that your teacher didn't want to teach you because he had better things to do had been something that Jiraiya had felt many times before when concerning Orochimaru and the Sandaime.

He had promised Minato he would take care of Naruto, he had already failed that but he would teach him to the best of his abilities to make sure he had a happy and long future, "Well, I could let you sign the Toad Contract…" Jiraiya said.

Did he just say he could sign the Toad Summoning Contract? Wasn't that what he had wished for just the night before in his mindscape? "Thank you so much Jiraiya-sensei!"

"I didn't say I'd show you the jutsu, I just said I'd let you sign the contract." Jiraiya said, smiling at his students antics. Biting his right thumb to break the skin, Jiraiya ran through five hand seals to fast for Naruto to see, ending in the ram seal, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**" Jiraiya yelled, slamming his bleeding hand onto the grassy ground.

An array of seals snaked forth from his palm, expanding in a circle of inky black runes and designs before both the seals and the two ninja were overtaken by a cloud of greyish white smoke.

The smoke wafted away, revealing a horse sized toad in its place, a large orange and green scroll held in its mouth.

Jiraiya walked forward and took the scroll from the amphibian, dismissing it with a small, "Thank you…" before he walked back to Naruto and unfurled the scroll in front of him, "This Naruto, is the summoning contract for the Toads, one of the three contracts that Konoha is famous for. The other two are the contract for the Slugs that Tsunade-hime has, and the contract for the Snakes that the traitor Orochimaru has."

"So this is the contract for the frogs huh…" Naruto wondered idly, "So…how do I use this thing anyways?" He couldn't wait to learn the jutsu, he was sure that nobody else from his graduating class had anything even remotely as powerful as what he was about to learn.

"Easy brat," Jiraiya said, ignoring the blonde's grumblings of his nickname. Why did everyone like to call him that, "Just bite your thumb, sign your name in blood in the empty space and put your hand print below your name."

Following the instructions, Naruto bit his thumb and signed his name, adding his hand print at the bottom. Jiraiya nodded in acceptance as Naruto looked back up at him, "Alright, now that that's done I guess I'll be leaving. Meet me here tomorrow again at around 4:00 pm."

"Ah, okay…" Naruto replied, a sad tinge encompassing his voice. He had finally found somebody that actually wanted to teach him, it would have been nice to spend at least a little bit more time with his new sensei.

'_God damn it, this boy sure knows how to use pity and guilt to his advantage…'_ Jiraiya mentally grumbled. Standing deep in thought for a few moments, he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out the first volume of Icha Icha Paradise.

Slowly, almost ceremonially, he handed it to Naruto, "Here brat, a present from me for mastering water walking in just a day…"

Eyes lighting up at the thought of getting a present as he had never gotten one before from anyone, the blonde demon container quickly grabbed the book as Jiraiya poofed away in a cloud of white smoke, a perverted grin adorning his features.

'_Where have I seen this before…?'_ Naruto thought, staring at the orange covered book. A memory suddenly flashed before his eyes. It was during one of his team's D-rank mission and Kakashi-sensei had been sitting on a tree branch, once again been reading his orange coloured book while a feminine giggle escaped his mask every so often.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he had asked Kakashi what he was reading, knowing that whatever could make the usually unflappable and calm man giggle like a horny schoolgirl _had_ to be good.

Kakashi had obliged, an unseen glint in his eyes -which he would later attribute to mischievous perverseness- as he randomly turned to a page and showed him one of the raunchiest and explicit pictures he would ever see.

'_I never did get the bloodstains out of my jacket did I…?'_ Naruto wondered to himself whimsically. He had flown from the tree branch a good ten feet before landing on his head on the ground, unconscious from the massive blood loss and head trauma. Although the picture was now nothing but a fuzzy memory in the deepest recesses of his mind, only to come up at night every so often, he could still remember the name of the book as if it were yesterday.

"Wait…the book Kakashi-sensei reads is orange…n-no…it can't be…" Time seemed to stand still in a moment of complete tranquillity as Naruto realized what his newest sensei had given him.

"DAMN IT! WHY DO ALL MY TEACHERS HAVE TO BE PERVERTS!?" Heaving from the effort it took to yell, he stuffed the book into one of his many pockets and rolled up his scroll that Kakashi had given him.

"I can't believe that bastard gave me _porn _as a present…" But still, he couldn't be mad at the damn pervert for being one of the first to willingly give him something, even if it was porn of all things.

Deciding that he had had enough excitement and training for one day, he headed off to the Ichiraku Ramen Stand, intent on eating a few bowls of delicious and heavenly ramen before heading home for the night.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto yawned as he stepped out of his small bathroom and into his bedroom. He had just gotten home from Ichiraku Ramen after a warm dinner of ramen and a few hours of talking to both the old man his and daughter Ayame.

He smiled fondly at the image of his two most precious people in the village, even above Iruka-sensei and oji-san. He would move Heaven and Earth just to see those two smile and be happy. While Iruka may have become a sort of father figure to him and the Hokage an old grandfather, none of them had done as much for him as the two proprietors of the quaint, little ramen stand.

Iruka had hated him once, even if it was only for a little while during his first year at the academy. The scarred chuunin had blamed him for the untimely death of his parents because of the demonic fox and had taken his hatred out on him, albeit in an inconspicuous way.

Whenever he could make Naruto's life just a little bit harder during school, he would do it. If a bully picked on Naruto and Naruto fought back, Iruka would have immediately blamed the blonde for starting the fight. During class itself, he would often pick on the jinchuuriki and punish him for the most inane of things.

Eventually though, the academy instructor had warmed up to the boy, seeing a more obnoxious version of his younger self in the jinchuuriki who wanted nothing but for someone to pay attention to him, to actually look at him as if his existence meant something and that he was not just an symbol of the past that shouldn't exist.

The Hokage on the other hand, for all he had tried to do for Naruto, could never do enough. He could never stop the villagers' mistreatment of him, he could never provide a caring home for him where he would be looked after as a member of the family, and he could never grant the last wish that his successor and sadly, predecessor wanted for the boy, for him to be seen as the hero that he is.

Luckily, the Ichiraku Family had been there and given him what the other two couldn't or in some cases, wouldn't.

They had never hated him for what he held, even though Ayame's mother had been killed by the Kyuubi's rampage, one of the few civilians to actually die on that fateful day. They had and still do treat him like the hero that he deserved to be, like the Yondaime intended.

Teuchi had become a sort of grandfather figure to him, more so than the Hokage had ever been while Ayame was almost like a big sister, always fussing over him over the most ridiculous of things. Ayame had once even stayed at his dismal apartment for over two weeks when he was a little over five years old, taking care of him when he had become sick for the first and probably last time in his life.

Although they never did find the cause of the sickness, if a Hyuuga had looked at the jinchuuriki's chakra coils, they would have seen tiny tendrils of red floating out of the seal on his stomach and into them. That was when the Kyuubi's corrosive yokai had first filtered through the seal and into his chakra coils, allowing the caustic energy to slowly adapt to his body.

Together they had filled in the void that the Hokage and even Iruka couldn't, they had given him the family that he had always wanted but could never truly have and for that, he would do anything for them.

Shaking himself from his reminiscing, Naruto slowly climbed into his bed after dressing in a plain white shirt and orange shorts. Leaning to the left, he reached out to set his alarm clock when a flash of orange caught his vivid sapphire eyes.

There it stood, Icha Icha Paradise Volume One…

'_Well, it couldn't hurt…'_ Naruto thought, hesitantly reaching out to grab the orange novelization of porno, almost as if against his better judgement.

'_Besides, I never did read it, Kakashi-sensei only showed me a picture…'_ He thought absently, randomly flipping through a few pages before he began to read.

_She returned his gaze with her own; overflowing with lust and need, "I want you…" she whispered quietly, her voice as soft as an angel's caress._

_Hiroshi blinked, caught off guard from the statement before a crooked smile crossed his features. Reaching down, he cupped her perky breast, gently fondling the mound of flesh._

"_I thought you'd never ask…" Hiroshi purred before he bent down and took one pink nipple between his teeth._

_Misaki moaned into his hair, her nipples hardening as Hiroshi continued his oral ministrations._

_She gasped as he continued down, trailing kisses between the valley of her breasts and across her smooth stomach, "Hiro-kun…" she whispered softly as he neared her most sacred spot._

_Hiroshi smirked as he reached the junction between her legs, softly kissing the little nub at the top before slowly parting her glistening folds as he sensually licked down her virgin cunt._

_He plunged his tongue into her tight core, a small, throaty squeak escaping her lips as he did so. Sweet nectar flooded into his mouth and dribbled down his chin. He increased his rapid licking, slightly raising his eyes to watch her face contort in pleasure._

"_O-oh my God…Hiro…" Misaki panted, eyes closed in forbidden pleasure. She placed her hands behind his head, pushing him into her womanhood to increase the bliss. She was close now; she could feel it, just a few…more…moments._

_Abruptly he stopped, raising his mouth from between her creamy thighs and he looked at her flushed form caused by her quickened pulse. Her glistening breasts were heaving up and down with her quick, uneven breathing. Crimson red eyes, half lidded and glazed with pleasure looked up at his own._

"_God Misaki…you're beautiful…" He leaned down, kissing her ravenously as she snapped out of her pleasure induced daze. She could taste her own fluids mixed in with his saliva, sweet yet bitter as their tongues battled for dominance._

_Hiroshi grabbed her legs and wrapped it around his hips as he pulled her up from the bed as she leaned against his chest, growling slightly as her dripping wet cunt brushed against his rock hard erection. Still ravaging her mouth with his own, he quickly pushed himself into her velvety sex._

_Misaki yelped in pain as her back arched from the sudden intrusion, slight beads of tears forming at the edge of her eyes from the stinging pain. Hiroshi leaned down to her ear, quietly whispering sweet nothings as she slowly calmed down._

_Slowly he started to thrust into her, in and out, in and out in a steady rhythm of carnal desire as he forced his cock into her flooding cunt. He slowly increased his tempo, her throaty moans becoming high pitched screams to match the intensity of his hack hammer thrusts._

_Oh god how she loved this feeling, never had she ever dreamed that it would feel oh so good. To be lost in the feelings of pure bliss as her lover pounded into her with bruising intensity._

_Hiroshi continued to slam into her greedily, a man possessed as he cupped her tight ass and lifted her pelvis higher before bringing her down, harder than before. He was close now; he could feel his release just waiting to be set free, all he needed was a few more moments._

"_Misaki…" He growled out, hips thrusting harshly into her small hole. Misaki screamed, her body shuddering violently as she cried out his name, her orgasm leaving her on the throes of ecstasy. It felt so __fucking__ good, pleasure and pain combined to its ultimate degree._

_Her body shook as she continued to come, milky white liquid coating her thighs and legs, "Hiro-kun…please…please don't ever stop!" She gasped out as her walls quivered and tensed, sending a jolt of pleasure down his spine and sending him over the edge._

_He moaned her name as he came, pushing into her in small, jolting thrusts as his seed pulsated into her womb. Twin cries of pleasure rung out into the air, their worlds engulfed in white as they came in the throes of ecstasy._

Naruto slumped down into his bed unconscious, a trail of blood leaking down from his nose as the book slipped from his slack hands.

Although he may have been the inventor of the S-class kinjutsu **Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy no Jutsu)**, he had never read or even seen anything during his spying session at the women's hot springs even remotely as pornographic and explicit as the novel he just read, no matter how well it was written.

And because of that, our blonde hero had blissfully fallen unconscious, his young and naive mind -or at least, it used to be- not able to fully process or handle such an adulterous situation.

Unknown to him, a certain white haired pervert grinned happily as he opened his own copy of the book he had given the blonde jinchuuriki. _Nobody_ could resist the temptation of his beloved creation and he knew that pretty soon, the boy would be begging for more.

He couldn't wait for that moment to arrive. He may not have been able to convince Minato of his novel's greatness, but he sure as hell could corrupt his son…

**XX AN XX**

And there you have it, how was it? Liked it…hated it? It's actually over **three thousand eight hundred** words bigger than my regular chapters. My first lemon, by the way, so I don't think it's that good, not that long either.

I got this out faster than usual considering the length, even though its five days late… I had to start over once because I lost all my writing. Plus, I'm not happy with how this turned out, it was way better the first time around…doesn't flow as smoothly as it did before…Stupid younger brother.

As some of you may have noticed, some parts of this chapter may see forced (_especially_ the part with Jiraiya giving Naruto the book), well, that's because they were, either because I couldn't think of anything to write about, I was dead tired, or I stopped at that point, came back, and had forgotten my train of thought. Sorry if this is somewhat of a nuisance…

Currently UnBeta'd

Alas, I have no bribe for you people this time, but still, feel free to review to your heart's content. Until next time…


	5. Kuchiyose

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** MatrixExplosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 20,900

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** May 26, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Good God is this late… but at least it's more than **three times** the size of my regular chapters… That should count for something right?

Currently **Un'Beta'd**…

**NOTE: READ A/N AT BOTTOM FOR FAQ AND DETAILS!**

Here's Chapter 05…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 05 - Kuchiyose**

_He looked up into blood red eyes, three black tomoe swirling lazily as they gazed down at his fallen form in a sort of cold detachment. There was nothing in the pair of crimson eyes, no hate, no amusement, just a hollow coldness not meant to belong in a human's gaze._

"_H-how could you…" His voice trembled as he spoke, raw emotions eating away at his heart and soul as he stared down at the cold, lifeless body. He softly gazed at her beautiful face, her lavender hair sprawled out across her flawless skin; she was truly as angel, even in death._

"_You are trying to take away my most precious thing…" Even as he spoke these words, his voice was as dead as his eyes. This…this machine was nothing like the boy he had once know, "…so to show you how it feels, I took away yours."_

_Was that what he truly believed? He had killed her, his most precious person, just to teach him a lesson? She had died because of him and his foolish desires; she had died protecting him…_

_He clutched his head in pain, tears raining down his face as scarlet chakra slowly bubbling out of his skin in a slow haze of unspeakable power and energy. _

_He…_

_Would…_

_Kill…_

_**HIM!**_

Naruto gasped as he sprang up from his bed, panting slightly as his horrific dream ended,_ 'D-damn it… not another one…That's the second time I've had one since the mission to Wave…'_

Looking to the side at his alarm clock, he sighed tiredly as he saw that it was only 1:37 am, he had only been able to get about four and a half hours of sleep since he had gotten back from the Ichiraku Ramen Stand.

The blonde sat there for a few minutes, trying to forget the strange dream -which were _really _beginning to get on his nerves by the way; they felt _just_ like reality and every time he woke up, he would feel the remnants of what he had felt during the dream- before tiredly slumping back down into his small bed as he pulled the sheets over his frame. Looking down as his Icha Icha Paradise lightly brushed up his arm in the process, a few moments passed in silent recollection before a scarlet blush erupted on his face as he remembered what he had read.

The book that his new sensei had given him was raunchy, pornographic, and explicit as hell, pure and unadulterated porn at its finest, no matter how well written… But as hard as he tried, he couldn't get the mental image of Misaki and Hiroshi out of his head.

Grabbing the book, he put it next to the scroll that Kakashi-sensei had given him for safe keeping before pulling the covers over his head. He still had a few more hours left of sleep before he had to wake up and go meet his team for another day of useless D-rank missions.

Slowly drifting off to sleep, his thoughts absentmindedly drifted to the seal, Kyuubi, and the man that had singlehandedly defeated the beast.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

"Ugh, not again…" Naruto mumbled, his eyes still closed in a moment of thought as a hint of irritation crept into his voice. He hated waking up in this place, even though this was only his second time 

coming here. While he may have come to terms with the fact that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was sealed inside of him, coming here was just a constant reminder that he did not need.

Opening his eyes, he saw that he was back in the main room of his mindscape that held the corporeal form of the **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)**, "At least I don't have to go through the damn maze again." He idly noted that he had his new clothing on, vest and all, instead of his usual orange and blue jumpsuit.

The blonde demon vessel walked towards the gigantic cage that held the powerful youko, not at all surprised when two crimson orbs appeared in the inky vastness, **"Welcome back brat,"** the Kyuubi seemed to grin at his arrival, revealing rows of carnivorous teeth, **"I didn't think you would be back so soon…"**

A shiver of fear ran down Naruto's spine at the sight of the fox's gigantic teeth and the sound of its voice, his hair standing on end. Even though he knew the bijuu couldn't hurt him, nobody could look something as powerful as the Kyuubi in the eye and not be even a little bit afraid.

Quickly reigning in his slight fear, he donned his patented 'pissed off' glare and looked up at the demonic entity, "Alright fox, why the hell am I here?"

Said fox glared down at the boy, eyes narrowed in anger at the impudent tone, **"Insolent whelp, did you already forget the conversation we had the last time you were in this despicable place you call your mind?"** At its jailor's blank look, it continued, **"At the end of our last meeting, I told you that if you wanted to come back here, just think of this place while you fall asleep, and that is what you did."**

Naruto seemed pensive for a moment, deep in thought before a sheepish grin crossed his features, "Hehe, I guess I did, didn't I…" He seemed to look around for a moment as he took a seat on the wet ground -that somehow left his clothes dry-, looking for something before his gaze came back to rest on the demonic youma, "Hey, where's the Yondaime?"

"**A dead soul cannot exist in the mortal plane brat, no matter what happens, the laws of Nature just won't allow it." **The Kyuubi began, easily slipping into lecture mode again. Being an all powerful, all knowing immortal being did have its perks, "**But while you're asleep, you are in better resonance with the spirit realm, as it is with all other beings on this mortal plane, and thanks to the Shinigami's chakra in you, it allows other souls to enter your mindscape."**

Springing up from his seat, wide eyes stared at the nine-tailed beast with growing apprehension, "Wh-what did you say!? What the hell do you mean the Death God's chakra?" Naruto all but yelled. He already had a demon and its yokai inside of him; he did_ not_ need or want the chakra of a God of Death on top of the Kyuubi.

However, before he could get an answer from the youma, a translucent form began to appear in the reality of his mind. Slowly coalescing into a recognizable mass, color quickly started to bleed into the shape as it finally formed, revealing the Yondaime Hokage.

The Yondaime Hokage looked around slowly for a few moments before his eyes quickly came to rest on the yellow haired genin. Lifting his hand up in a wave, a small smile crossed his face as he greeted his son, "Yo!"

"Um…hi…?" Naruto lamely let out. Having not really known how the Hokage had actually come to be in his mind in the first place, it was quite disconcerting to just see the man appear out of thin air and with such an upbeat attitude.

Empty stares greeted his arrival after that as an awkward silence ensued; neither of the two human parties knowing what to do while the demonic entity looked on in amusement. Finally getting tired of the uncomfortable silence, Naruto decided to ask a question that had been bothering him since his first meeting with the dead Hokage, "So, how come you're here. I mean, not that I mind, but dead people shouldn't just appear in other people's head every time the person goes to sleep…"

The Yondaime frowned slightly at the question, thinking of how to answer it as he absentmindedly walked up to the gargantuan cage that held the bijuu at bay. Idly looking over the numerous bars of the seal lined prison, he noted that almost all of the spider web like cracks that had been visible the day before had been filled in.

"Well…it's like this." The Yondaime began, "You see the Kyuubi's cage and how it's black?" At Naruto's nod, he continued, "Now look at the symbols on the bars of the cage, what color are they?"

Not really getting where the Hokage was going with this, Naruto none the less answered the question, "They're blue…but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Don't worry, I'm getting to that." The Fourth reassured, "Now, as you should know by now, the color of human chakra is blue, that is why the seals on the cage are blue, they are composed of _my_ chakra. On the other hand, the color of a demon's chakra, also known as yokai, usually depends on the element the demon is most associated with. For good ol' Kyuubi here…" Off to the side, Kyuubi scoffed at how the mortal had addressed him. As if the flesh bag could even think of being his acquaintance, "…it's fire, and that's why his yokai is red. Meanwhile, Ichibi no Shukaku, the one tailed bijuu had light brown chakra because he is most aligned with the earth and the wind."

As the Yondaime finished his small lecture, at least for the time being, something click in Naruto's head as confusion dawned on his face, "But…but why's the color of the cage black then? Shouldn't it be blue like the seals if it's made of your chakra…?" The blonde genin trailed of near the end, a strange form of near comprehension emerging on his face.

"Exactly…" The Yondaime said, a hint of pride leaking into his voice. He hadn't really thought that Naruto would have caught on so fast, but then again, this _was_ his son…although he didn't fully get the concept yet because he was missing so much information, "…why would the cage be black if human chakra is blue? That's because it _isn't_ made of human chakra, rather, it's made from the chakra of the God of Death, Shinigami-sama."

A moment of silence passed in which Naruto processed what the Yondaime had said. Not only did he have the strongest of the bijuu bound to his soul, that seal was made from the very energy of the God of Death, "Holy shit…I've got the chakra of a _fucking_ God in me! But wait…how does that explain why you come here every time I fall asleep."

"Kyuubi here…" The Yondaime started again, pointing towards the imprisoned bijuu, "…said that you somehow accessed the chakra used to make the **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)**, which to tell you, should have been impossible. But because you used the chakra that made the seal and as a result weakened it, the seal had to fix and strengthen itself. It just like when you use some of your chakra from your reserves, it eventually fills up over time again. The more you use, the longer it takes."

Naruto walked over to the cage, only now noticing that the strange cracks that had lined the bars of the black cage had all but disappeared, leaving only a few lingering instances every few feet. So _that's_ why the cracks where there in the first place. He had somehow ended up using the Shinigami's chakra and weakening the seal. He slightly paled at that last thought, who knows what would have happened if the seal got too weak to hold back the Kyuubi.

Turning back towards the Yondaime, Naruto snapped out of his thoughts as a question crossed his mind, "But if I had used some of the seal's chakra, shouldn't I at least remember it…" Trailing off at 

the end, Naruto looked at the Hokage, an expectant look on his face. So far, the Fourth had been able to answer every single question that he had had, so he should be able to answer this.

A sheepish grin crossed the older blondes face as he scratched the back of his head, an obvious sign of embarrassment, "Actually… I have no idea when you used it. All I know is that you did…" Gaining a more serious demeanor, the deceased Hokage continued his explanation from before, "As to why or rather how I got here. Remember how I said that the seal needed to repair itself." At the boy's nod, he continued, "The only type of energy that could fill in the void was the energy that was used to create it in the first place, in this case, the Death God's chakra."

"Now, the Shinigami is nothing more than a giant mass of extremely potent chakra –even more so than the bijuu- with an exceptionally intelligent consciousness inhabiting it. I should know; I _did_ after all spend twelve years inside of it." He added with a small smirk, "And since I was _in _the Death God's stomach at that time, when the **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment) **leeched more chakra from Shinigami-sama to repair itself, I was dragged here with it."

"I guess that makes sense…" Naruto said to himself quietly. A few more moments passed in silence before Naruto, ever the hyperactive and loud ninja, decided to break it, "So…now what…?" He deadpanned with an expressionless visage. The Yondaime let out a nervous chuckle at the genin's question; he really didn't know what else they could do to pass the time, how much ever they had left, that is.

An idea suddenly crossed his mind as he grinned happily; they hadn't really gotten to know each other that well the past two days with all the questions and whatnot, so why not use this opportunity to get to know his son?

"Well, since we haven't really gotten to know each other that well despite the past few days, how about we introduce ourselves?" The Yondaime smiled at that, this gave him a good way of knowing how the boy had grown up without seeming too obvious.

"What do you want to know?" Naruto asked. For some reason, this seemed awfully familiar to him, almost like he had been asked this question before.

"You know…your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies and your dreams for the future. Things like that…" The older blonde drawled out.

Naruto seemed to process the information for a few moments before realization dawned on his face. Kakashi-sensei! _That's_ where he had heard the question from before. His tardy jounin sensei had asked them the same question when they first met him at the academy.

"That's just plain freaky…" Naruto whispered to himself, not really expecting the other man to hear, but upon noticing the confused expression on the Hokage's face, he decided to elaborate, "Kakashi-sensei asked us the same question when I graduated from the Academy."

"Hatake Kakashi…has grey, gravity defying hair…wears his headband over his left eye…_He's_ your jounin sensei?" The Fourth asked, his voice tinged with a hint of disbelief. What were the chances that the man he himself trained would end up training his one and only son? Now _that_ was ironic…

"Yah, Kakashi-sensei's our sensei, although he sure doesn't act like it most of the time…" Naruto muttered the final part angrily, clearly irritated with whatever was bugging him.

The Yondaime blinked owlishly at the genin's angry muttering, "What are you talking about…"

Naruto looked up, surprised that he had been heard again before he scowled, absentmindedly taking a seat on the cold, damp ground as the Yondaime followed his example, "Kakashi-sensei doesn't really teach me all that much… He spends all his time teaching Sasuke-teme."

A confused look greeted him once again and Naruto sweat dropped as he realized that the older man had no idea about who Sasuke was, or about anything else that concerned his life outside of the seal.

"Well, it's like this…" Naruto began, deciding to explain his team and teammates to the older man, "…my teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei is, well, my sensei. Since Sasuke-teme's a genius and Rookie of the Year like Kakashi, Kakashi always trains him and even Sakura-chan sometimes… but since I'm nothing but a dead-last from the Academy, he doesn't want to waste his _precious_ time teaching me something that Sasuke would only learn ten times faster, with what his Sharingan and all…" Naruto trailed off, a bittersweet smile adorning his face.

The Yondaime's eyes flashed with anger, much like his sensei's and predecessor's a few hours before when they had learnt of Kakashi's blatant favouritism for Sasuke. Hadn't the one-eyed jounin learnt _anything_ from Obito's sacrifice? He was snapped out of his mental smouldering as the short genin continued.

"But don't worry! I got a _new _sensei and he's way more powerful than Kakashi." Naruto smiled, remembering the old Sannin. He just knew that he would teach him seriously, unlike Kakashi. He didn't know how or why, he just…knew. Maybe it was because of the way old Sannin looked at him, with a silent gaze of awe and a strange sort of disbelief unlike Kakashi's distant contempt and outward laziness.

"Oh…?" The Yondaime asked curiously. He had seen high ranking ninja take on apprentices all the time during his life, Orochimaru and Anko being a prime example, but he had never heard of a genin being on both a team with a jounin sensei and getting chosen as an apprentice, albeit unofficially as in this case, "…and who would that be?"

"Jiraiya of the Sannin…" Naruto said happily before scowling a bit as he remembered one of the Sannin's less…likable qualities, "He's a damn pervert though."

Scrunching his eyes up in thought, Naruto scratched his head as another thought came to him from back when he was in the Academy and what the Hokage had told him only a few hours before, "Hey wait a minute…wasn't he your jounin sensei?"

The Yondaime, meanwhile, was still trying to process the fact that both his jounin sensei and student were now teaching his son, "But wait a minute, when did Jiraiya-sensei come back to Konoha?"

Naruto seemed thoughtful for a moment, remembering how the Kyuubi had said that the Sannin hadn't been in Konoha since his birth, "I don't know, I just met him at oji-san's office yesterday and he agreed to train me…" Trailing off, the blonde gained a serious demeanour as he thought of something that the Hokage had let slip the first time he had met him, "And when we met for the first time, you said something about him and oji-san taking care of me when I was a kid?"

Startled by the sudden and unexpected question, the blonde Hokage quickly tried to think of a believable excuse. Although he now knew that Naruto has lived his entire life alone, he still didn't know the extent of Naruto's knowledge concerning Jiraiya and his relationship, "Oh that…I was just..ah…um…thinking of something else…don't worry…it doesn't concern you…" Flashing a fake smile, he just hoped that Naruto bought his lie.

"Oh…okay…" Naruto started at the Hokage for a short moment, eyes scrutinizing, before flashing a small grin.

Letting out a mental sigh of relief, the Yellow Flash decided that it was better to just change topics in case Naruto came up with more questions he wasn't prepared to answer, at least not yet, "So Jiraiya's your sensei huh…un-freakin-believable…" Seeing Naruto's confused look, he let out a small laugh and explained, "As you know, I was on Jiraiya's genin team as a genin, but did you know that when I became a jounin, Kakashi was on_ my_ genin team?"

Naruto let out a small sound of awe and surprise at his situation. Both his teachers had either taught the Yondaime Hokage, or had been trained by him, and he had the actual Yondaime floating around in his head because of a seal that had cursed him with the burden of holding back the Kyuubi. Absent-mindedly, he thought of all the things he could learn from the three legendary ninja.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as the Yondaime made a small sound to get his attention, "Now, let's get back to introductions shall we…?"

Grinning sheepishly, Naruto nodded his head in acceptance, "Wait, why don't you go first… I mean, I only know what they told us about you in the Academy…"

Smiling slightly, the Yondaime began, "Alright… My name is Namikaze Minato…" Unseen to him, Naruto let a small, pained smile come to his face before it vanished without a trace. He had hoped that maybe, just maybe he had been related to the Fourth…but his name proved him wrong. He should have known better than to put hope into something so foolish…as if a dead-last like him could ever be related to the single greatest ninja of his time. Snapping out of his thoughts, he quickly returned his attention to the Yondaime.

"…I like Konoha, my precious people in it, and learning new jutsu… I dislike traitors of the village and people that hate others for no reason…my hobbies are training and creating seal-less jutsu. My dreams for the future…well…the dead don't really have a need for dreams do they?" Finished with his tirade, the Fourth looked over at the other blonde, "So…what about you?"

Even though it was his turn, Naruto didn't answer for a second. To be honest, he was contemplating what to say. When he had been given the same question by Kakashi-sensei, he had yelled out about ramen and his dream to be Hokage. But what did he really like, or dislike, in this world?

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto… I like the few people in this village that don't treat me as a monster or a demon reborn…" The Yondaime watched as pure happiness flashed through Naruto's eyes as he thought of his precious people, few as they may be, "…ramen, and learning new jutsu. My dislikes are people who don't know the difference between a demon and a human and traitors. My hobbies include pulling pranks and training…my dream for the future…to be the strongest ninja in the village, the Hokage!"

'_What they say must be true…like father like son…'_ Grinning slightly at the revelation of the blonde's dream, the Yondaime decided to find out just _why_ the genin had picked such a grand ambition to achieve.

"The road to being Hokage isn't easy Naruto, especially for you…why would you choose something like that to be your dream."

Naruto grimaced, this wasn't the first time someone had questioned his dream. Taking a deep breath, he began, "As long as I can remember, people have hated me…looked at me as if I didn't even exist. Even though I tried everything I could to make them stop, they wouldn't. Then I noticed something one day while I was walking with oji-san…_everybody _loved him…they looked at him with smiles on their faces and didn't curse his very existence…"

A bittersweet smile crossed his face at that. Idly rubbing his eyes, he was surprised to find tears, "At first, I wanted to be Hokage so that they would have to acknowledge me, that I _did_ in fact exist and wasn't just a thing of the past that they wanted to forget… Then I met my precious people…they didn't 

hate me, they didn't shun me for _what_ I was, instead, accepted me for _who_ I was…and even though I didn't show it, I was _so_ happy…"

By now, Naruto wasn't even trying to hide his tears and even the Yondaime was getting misty eyed. He knew Kushina would want to know all about what he had learnt and heard today, he could only hope that she would forgive him.

"So I promised myself, that no matter what happened, I would protect my precious people, even if I had to kill myself in the process, I would protect them from harm…and what better way to do that than to become Hokage? Even though the villagers might hate me, I _will_ become Hokage to protect my precious people…and that's a promise of a lifetime!" The Yondaime eyes widened imperceptibly as he stared into the eyes of the genin, eyes filled with determination to take on the world and win…eyes much like his own.

'_He certainly grew up in an interesting way…despite all he has been through; he doesn't resent the villagers for their blind hatred of him and instead wishes to gain their trust…'_ Smiling warming at his son, the dead Hokage got up to stretch his legs and idly walked over towards the cage that held the Kyuubi. Now he was certain of his decision to help the young genin become the Hokage of Konoha after he had listened to the little speech, now if he could only find those blasted brothers…

"So, is there anything else you want to ask me before my time runs out…?"

Naruto seemed to think for a moment, even going so far as to hum in a contemplative manner before he remembered his meeting with his new sensei later in the day…when he woke up, that is, "Actually, I was wondering, since you were Kakashi's sensei when he was part of a genin team, you should know some pretty secretive things about him…right?" Naruto asked, a strange glint entering his eyes.

"Um, I guess so…" The strange glint in the blonde genin's eyes was _seriously_ beginning to freak him out for reasons he couldn't even begin to fathom or explain.

The strange glint vanished, only to be replaced with mirth as Naruto's face exploded into a wicked grin, "I was wondering, do you have anything on Kakashi-sensei that _nobody_ else knows?"

The Fourth Hokage stood stock still for a moment before his own face changed to match Naruto's grin. He had been feeling quite…_vindictive_ towards the one-eyed jounin since he had learnt of his blatant favouritism and blatant disregard for Naruto. This gave him the perfect opportunity to get back at the lazy pervert.

'_But what to do…'_ Then it hit him, like one of Kushina's fists that one time when he had tried to do something…_new_ in bed one day…at least until he explained himself. He grinned a slightly perverted grin, _'Ahh, now those were the days…'_ before he returned his focus onto the memory.

**XX FlashBack XX**

_Minato reached down and swiped the blood off of his kunai and onto the enemy's attire. They had been travelling back to Konoha, recently having completed an easy enough C-rank mission to protect some "important" dignitary when they had been ambushed by a genin team from Iwa. _

_They had fought for a few minutes, with him taking the jounin of the team and the Iwa genin fighting his own team of Kakashi, Rin, and Obito. Halfway through the mayhem of fists and flashing steel, the Iwa jounin had gotten enough time to complete a Doton jutsu which had scattered his team._

_Seeing that he had been separated from his team and concerned for their safety, he did the only thing possible and killed the enemy in the most efficient way possible, by pulling a __**Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) **__out of his ass._

_It was over in a matter of seconds…a quick throw here, a little chakra there, and viola, he was behind the enemy before he even knew it himself with a kunai at the Rock-nin's neck, "Well, that was surprisingly easy…but I guess I should be happy…" _

_Returning to the clearing where they had been ambushed, he was happy to see that all three of his genin had safely defeated their opponents…well, all except for Kakashi who seemed to be covering the right side of his masked face with a worried Rin kneeling beside him, pestering him about something._

"_I said I don't need your help…" Kakashi said quietly, but just a few octaves above firm. Walking a little closer to the group, he could see splatters of blood covering Kakashi's face and hand, and his mask seemed to be in tatters._

_Rin sighed in exasperation and anger, tired of her teammates constant refusal for medical help, "Just let me help you! I can heal it, and it probably won't even leave a scar…" _

"_Just let her heal you, don't be such a dickhead… Uchiha Obito stood beside the pair, quietly cleaning his orange goggles with the hem of his shirt as the Yondaime blinked owlishly at the usually nice boy being so vulgar, "…so what if she see's your ugly mug?" he finished off as he put the glasses back onto his eyes._

"_What's going on…?" The Yondaime asked. Seeing as nobody was going to answer, Rin explained the situation, "Kakashi got hit by the peanutty clusterfuck of a small Doton jutsu from the Iwa genin and now he won't let me heal him."_

_Now it was his turn to sigh in exasperation. While Kakashi may be all about following the rules and codes of conduct, he hated accepting help from anybody, especially one of his fangirls, "Just let Rin heal you Kakashi…"_

_Not even thinking twice about it now that his sensei had told him to, Kakashi removed his hand from his injured face and let Rin's medical jutsu do its job. The ripped flesh quickly knit itself back together under her skillful hands._

"_There, now was that so bad?" she said happily, letting the emerald green glow of chakra die down before completely cutting off the flow as she lowered her hands…only to gasp in surprise as she looked at his now slightly scarred face._

_Kakashi, uneasy because of the gasp but not wanting to give it away, casual asked what was wrong. In response, Rin quickly reached into her medical pouch and pulled out a compact mirror, hurriedly handing it to Kakashi and looking away._

_Now even more disturbed by how Rin was acting, Kakashi quickly took the offered mirror and looked at the bloodied reflection of his face. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, the wound had been healed, and there wasn't even a sc-…wait…, "What the fuck is that…?" _

_On the right side of his face and just along his jaw line was a small, white scar, not really all that noticeable, but still there. Now in the Shinobi world, visible scars aren't all that uncommon, any shinobi or kunoichi that's been out in the field, even a genin, would probably have one. No, it wasn't the scar itself that had made Rin act so strange and the normally aloof Kakashi swear, but what it looked like._

_Obito walked forward as Kakashi lowered the small mirror, all the while muttering intelligible death threats. Taking on good look at his face, the Sharingan-less Uchiha quickly burst out into laughter, "Damn Kakashi… what exactly did the Iwa-nin do to you to leave a scar of a penis of all things on your face?"_

_The Yondaime just stood there, snickering for a few moments before he finally composed himself enough to speak, "Kakashi…I know you think you've got a large one, but trying to draw it larger and then covering it with a mask means nothing to us... especially when it's in the wrong place."_

_Kakashi stated at his normally placid sensei with something akin to resentment before he lost his usually unflappable cool, "But it wasn't me! Why would I even do it?! It's because of that stupid Iwa genin's jutsu…it left the scar!"_

_Off to the side, Obito lay on the ground, holding his sides in pain with tears in his eyes as he tried to get out a few more choice words, only to once again exploded into giddy laughter, "Hehe, I guess you really _are_ a dickhead."_

_Glaring at the talentless Uchiha, Kakashi huffed in annoyance and stalked off into the forest, ignoring the frantic and half-hearted calls from a blushing Rin and his snickering sensei._

**XX FlashBack End XX**

It had taken him over two hours to console the angry genin and promises from both him and Rin that they would never mention it to anybody…but Obito had been another story. No matter what they did, the nickname just stuck and Obito used it whenever possible to humiliate his teammate whenever they were alone.

Relaying the story to Naruto, the dead Hokage watched as his eyes lit up with mirth, "Man, who knew Kakashi-sensei had _that_ hidden underneath his mask…but how could I use that?"

"Well, you can casually mention the nickname when you're near him, that'll throw him for a loop. Since _nobody_ other than the four of us knew the nickname." The Fourth smirked at that, now _that_ would freak out the normally aloof jounin.

Naruto just smirked, if his team meeting went as usual and they ended up with the mission they usually got, he would have the perfect opportunity.

Off to the side, Minato sweat-dropped as the young genin started to cackle evilly. Deciding to break him of his evil scheming for the time being, he quickly asked another question, "So, anything you want to ask me of Jiraiya?"

"Actually…I was wondering, since Jiraiya taught you and all, could you tell me what I could ask him to teach me when I meet him tomorrow?" The blonde slowly trailed off, not sure if he should be asking.

Minato smiled at the genin's hesitant tone for whatever reason. Maybe he felt as though he was taking away his sensei, "Well, what's he taught you so far?"

"Well, he only had me sign the Toad Summoning Contract so far, but I'm supposed to try summoning them today…after I wake up that is…" Naruto added sheepishly.

"Wow…so he already let you sign it." Minato said in awe. He couldn't believe that the Toad Sannin had already let Naruto, a _genin_, sign a contract for one of the three most powerful summons in Konoha. He himself had only been allowed to sign the contract once he had been promoted to jounin.

"As for what you could ask him to teach you…Jiraiya's a very ninjutsu oriented ninja, but he usually uses his then in combinations with his toads…" Minato trailed off, trying to think of a good technique that Naruto could ask for from the perverted Sennin. While the man may have taught him, he, like any good shinobi had built up his own unique style of fighting.

"You could ask him to teach you a katon jutsu, since he has a lot of those to use with his summons. Other than that, all I can think of is either the **Doton - Yomi Numa (Earth Style - Swamp of the Underworld)** or the **Hari Jizou (Hair Needle Guardian)**. Personally, I would go with the **Doton - Yomi Numa (Earth Style - Swamp of the Underworld) **because you don't have long enough hair to use the oth-" The blonde Hokage was cut off as the incessant beeping of the alarm clock made itself known, attempting to draw its owner to the land of the living.

"I guess our time is up…" Naruto said quietly. He had really begun to like the time he spent with Minato in his mindscape. No angry villagers, no tardy sensei's and brooding bastards, just him and the Hokage.

Minato, easily reading into the quiet tone smiled a bittersweet smile, "Don't worry Naruto, you'll be back here before you know it."

Naruto just smiled slightly, he knew that was true, he just didn't want to leave the one person who he could talk to without worrying about what he would think of him. Getting up, the genin walked over to stand beside the Yondaime, absent-mindedly taking note of the fiery red orbs of the Kyuubi floating in the inky nothingness in front of him, "Yeah, I guess you're right…" Looking expectantly towards the sealed bijuu, he waited for the beast to send him back.

The nin-tailed fox just stared back for a few moments before it asked in a gruff voice, "**What is it ningen…"**

Naruto scowled, he never did like talking to the damn fox. It always regarded him, and humans overall from what he had seen, in a scornful and mocking manner, as if it were better than them, "Well, aren't you going to send me back?"

"**And why would I do that? Figure it out for yourself…" **The beast trailed off, smirking in amusement as he saw the anger on the boy's features. Truly, humans were so easy to rile up.

Seeing as the Kyuubi wasn't going to help him, Naruto turned to the last person that could help him, "Umm, so do you know how I…you know…wake up…?"

The Fourth let out a contemplative hum as he thought, "Well, since this is your mind, you could just _will_ yourself to wake up…but if that doesn't work, you could just walk down the hallway that you used the first time you came here."

"I guess that makes sense…" Walking a bit further away from the cage, Naruto screwed his eyes shut in concentration as he _willed_ his body to wake up. After a few moments of deep concentration, he cracked open his eyes and looked down, surprised to see that his body was actually fading away, albeit much slower than when Kyuubi had used his yokai to do the job.

Naruto looked back up at Minato, grinning sheepishly, "I guess it worked… So I'll see you again tomorrow?"

Minato smiled slightly, "Sure, why not…" Then he remembered that since the boy was being trained by Jiraiya, he could do his part and help out as well. While he _had_ planned on teaching the boy anyways, he had wanted to wait until he had found the other parts of his plan so they could really begin, but now was good a time as any, "And remember, if you ever need any help, just ask me and I'll see what I can do. I could probably even teach you some jutsu if you wanted me too…"

Naruto seemed to nod happily, after all, the more teachers he had, he would get stronger that much faster… that is before a look of confusion crossed his features, "But wait…how are you going to teach me? I mean not that I'm not glad or anything, but you're dead…dead people don't have chakra…do they?"

Minato grinned sheepishly; he _should_ have expected that since people that are alive don't really know that much about the land of the dead. Holding up his right hand in front of him, he concentrated his chakra and an orb of violently swirling blue chakra blossomed to life in the palm of his hand.

Naruto looked in awe at the violently swirling orb of chakra, even though he had almost faded away, he could still feel the barely contained power behind the sphere, "Whoa, what _is_ that!"

Grinning a slightly proud grin, Minato went on the explain the seal-less jutsu, "_This_ is the **Rasengan (Spiral Sphere)**, a seal-less jutsu that took me three years to create and master…although the damn thing _still_ isn't finished…" Grumbling the last part angrily so that Naruto didn't hear, he turned towards the blonde in question to see him still staring at the ball of spinning chakra.

Meanwhile, the blonde demon host was still mesmerized by the jutsu, he was certain that the emo Uchiha didn't have anything even remotely as powerful as the **Rasengan (Spiral Sphere)** seemed, "Will you teach me it? Eyes sparkling in anticipation like a kid in a candy store, Naruto waited for the answer, only to pout angrily as he received it.

"Hehe, I'm afraid I can't, even if I wanted too. While you do have the chakra capacity to perform the attack, you have nowhere near the control required to use it." While he hated lying to the genin since the jinchuuriki did have adequate enough control to use the jutsu, he didn't want to teach a high A-class assassination jutsu to a genin who hadn't even competed in his first chuunin exam, not yet anyways.

Minato grinned as he noticed the blonde demon vessel's pouting expression, kids were so easy to rile up, "But that doesn't mean I can't teach it to you later…just train and become stronger and you'll be ready for it in no time." Noticing that the blonde was almost gone, he raised up his hand in a small wave, "Ja ne!"

"Ja Ne…"

His voice seemed to echo through the recesses of the mind as the last traces of Naruto's ethereal form disappeared from view, leaving the room coated in an uneasy silence. The slit red eyes of the Kyuubi bore down onto the Yondaime's form that stood in front of the gate, fidgeting nervously every few moments as if he wanted to say something but was too afraid to say it.

Tired of the human's antics, the demon let out a huff of air, almost like a sigh, before speaking, **"Out with it…mortal." **Kyuubi said in irritation. While it would rather _not_ waste it's time talking to the same man that had the gall sealed it, but at the same time having nothing better to do in this insufferable sewer the boy called his mind, it would have to suffice.

Taking a deep breath, Minato relaxed his tense body as he remembered that the beast was sealed and that it could _not _hurt him, "I was wondering…could you use your yokai and show me how Naruto's life has been like you showed me the last time, but this time, I want to see _all_ of it."

The Kyuubi no Youko grinned, a malicious smile that sent shivers down the dead Hokage's spine; it was the smile of someone that knew something no one else knew. Wisps of fiery red yokai snaked through the bars of the translucent gate, approaching Minato's unmoving form, he had already been through this once so he knew what to expect.

The crimson energy coalesced around his form, forming a vortex of swirling red as twelve years worth of memories, emotions, and feelings bombarded his mind in the space of a second.

"_I'm sorry Naruto…"_

He looked up into his own face, matted with sweat and an ashen pale color. A black mass of chakra floated behind them, razor sharp teeth glistening in anticipation of its upcoming meal.

"_Please…please…don't hurt me…"_

A gurgled scream escaped his mouth as a sharp pain shot through his side. Eyes overflowing with hatred sneered down at him, vindictiveness shining like the morning sun.

"_Congratulation's Naruto, you've been accepted into the Academy!"_

Joy, pure and simple exploded in his heart. He could finally go to the Academy; he could learn how to be Ninja… Finally, he could learn to protect himself. He leapt forwards, wrapping the gnarled old frame of the Sandiame Hokage in a warming hug.

"_Just make sure you don't die dobe…"_

No…no…this couldn't be right… He was the genius…he wasn't supposed to die…he _couldn't_ die. The fake hunter-nin, it was all his fault…he would _**pay**_!

Minato gasped as he fell to his knees, the memories suddenly ending in a whirlwind of dissipating energy, "W-what was that…?" That was nothing like the last time the Kyuubi had shown him Naruto's memories. The last time, all he had felt was brief moments of what Naruto himself had felt, and that was it. Now it felt as if he had been Naruto himself, experiencing every little thing the blonde genin had felt throughout his life.

Kyuubi's grin just seemed to get all the more malevolent as it gazed down at the fallen Hokage, **"Did you really believe that you could **_**experience**_** twelve years worth of memories in an instant and not be affected by it mortal?"**

Grasping the translucent black bars of the cage to support his weight, Minato slowly pulled himself to his feet, idly noting that his hand was starting to fade into nothingness.

"**Do you now see what the boy has been through ningen?"** Kyuubi continued, the malevolent grin now gone only to be replaced by a strange sense of satisfaction,** "He has suffered more at the hands of these villagers that you sacrificed your life to protect than you could possibly imagine."**

The dead Namikaze only looked down, a melancholy look on his face as he reflected on what he had seen, "H-he's been through _so_ much in his life, and he's not even a chuunin yet. Ninja three times his age haven't been through half the pain he has…how could he ever put up with it?"

"**The boy has an iron will."** Kyuubi said, slapping the translucent bars of its cage with its nine tails for effect.

He didn't know how he knew it, but he had a feeling that the Kyuubi's had just complimented Naruto, _'I guess the demon respects him for what he's been through…' _Finally being able to support his own weight, Minato slowly backed away from the corporeal seal and turned towards the bijuu.

"Take care of him while I'm gone Kyuubi… He's not strong enough to protect himself…not yet…so I need you to take care of him." Although he hated asking the demon to take care of his son, Kyuubi _was_ one hell of a trump card, and the way he had designed the seal would give Naruto more than enough power for the time being. All he needed was a few more weeks to find them, and then he'd be ready.

The Kyuubi no Youko just stared down at the Yondaime for a few moments before it spoke, **"You made it out of the Death God's stomach didn't you…" **It wasn't as much of a question as a statement.

Minato just grinned happily, slightly nodding his head towards the sealed beast as the last traces of his ethereal existence disappeared from the sewer-like mindscape.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he awoke with a start, fully aware of his surrounding and not in the least bit drowsy, _'Probably because I didn't really sleep… I was up all night talking with Minato-sama and that damn furball.'_

Lazily smashing his hand onto the clock to close the blaring alarm, the blonde slowly slinked out of his old bed and made his way towards the bathroom to get ready for his team meeting for the day.

Quickly completing his daily morning rituals, Naruto proceeded to head to his closet and take out a clean pair of the clothes that he had bought just the day before. Donning his black pants and spiral embedded shirt, Naruto slipped on his jounin-like vest before going to stand in front of his bathroom mirror. He hadn't gotten that good of a chance to look at how he looked in his new clothing the other day, mostly from the fear that the owner of the shop would come to his sense's and throw him out.

He had to admit, he looked good. The shirts were incredibly light and hugged his frame nicely but they weren't overly tight, letting him move freely and the shinobi pants were no different…only slightly heavier than the shirts. The black clothing contrasted sharply with his vibrant blue eyes and yellow hair, complimenting each other and making them stand out that much more. On top of that, the red jounin-like vest just added a more serious feel to his assembly and made him look like somebody that knew what he was doing.

Overall, his new clothing gave him a strange feral and animalistic quality that just screamed dangerous, _'Much better than Sasuke-teme's emo clothing._' Naruto thought happily.

Walking back to the main room of his apartment, he quickly slipped on his new shoes and ran out the front door, heading towards the training grounds…only to come back a minute later and sheepishly lock his front door, not that he needed to though, as _nobody_ in their right mind would dare visit the Demon of Konoha.

A few minutes later, the blonde genin was weaving through the streets of the village, steadily making his way to the training grounds at a leisurely gait and although he may have seemed calm on the outside, he was anything but on the inside.

For the past ten minutes, he had been walking through the streets of the village, flanked on either side by various villagers going about their daily morning rituals. While this may have seemed like a normal thing to any outsider, there was a world of difference to Naruto.

Usually when he walked through the village every morning to get to his team's training ground; he would be greeted with stares of hatred and malice from almost every living being that so much as looked at him. Granted, there _were_ a few that looked at him with cold indifference and even some that gave him a small smile or a nod of the head to show their acceptance of him.

But today, while there may have been the usual glares of malice and loathing, there were an equal amount of stares that contained something very alien to Naruto…curiosity. _Many_ of the villagers were looking at him with a strange mixture of curiosity and wariness, as if they were interested in him, but were too afraid of him to approach him.

Even more astonishing were the stares filled with…_something_ that he wasn't familiar with, but he did notice one thing similar about them…he only got those stares from the female population. Whenever a girl…not woman…a girl would look at him, she would get a faint red hue on her face and quickly look away, only to keep on taking quick peaks over at him whenever they thought he wasn't looking in their direction.

Now Naruto may have been able to handle the daily hate-filled glares, he was in no way prepared to handle all these various new reactions from the villagers. At least when they looked at him with hatred, he knew why, but he couldn't think of _any_ reason that could have resulted in this change…

Quietly thinking to himself, Naruto tried to think of what might have caused the change, _'The only thing I've changed is my…wait…that's it…my new clothing! That's what caused the change…'_

Now Naruto may be an idiot because of the constant neglect that he had and still does occasionally receive from his teachers, but he was in no way stupid nor ignorant. He may easily miss details that another person would easily pick up on –due to his lack of social skills because of his isolated life-, but once he found what he was missing; his sharp mind honed by years of living alone would quickly fit everything together as it had just done now.

The villagers were giving him stares of curiosity and wariness because he had _changed_. For the past six years, he had been wearing a blindingly orange jumpsuit and the villagers had come to accept that as him, a stupid, orange wearing, ninja wannabe…he had been a constant in their lives, and because of that, they could rely on his behaviour to keep a measure of control over him to sate their fears. But now that he had changed so unexpectedly, they had lost that incorporeal control over him. They were _afraid_ of him for changing from an orange loving idiot obsessed with ramen into something dangerous…something they couldn't rely on to stay the same and thus safe.

'_At least they're not glaring at me…I'd take this any day over hatred. But I still don't get the other stares from the girls…wait…I've the same stare somewhere before…but where…'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"…our job is to clear out the farmi-" Yuuhi Kurenai was roughly cut off as a strange but familiar sound interrupted her mission briefing.

"Achoo!"

Hyuuga Hinata blushed, covering her mouth with both her hands as both of her teammates and sensei stared at here.

"Whoa, that was a big one Hinata!" Inuzuka Kiba said loudly, his white pup barking in agreement at his side.

Aburame Shino just pushed his glasses further up his nose with his fingers, not in the least bit phased by the abrupt sneeze from his normally quiet teammate, "Bless you…"

"A-ano, e-excuse me…" Hinata meekly replied, her blush dying down until only a faint red hue remained. Now _that_ was unexpected and embarrassing, especially for someone as shy as her. But what could have caused it? _'M-maybe Naruto-kun was t-thinking about m-me…'_

Realizing what she was actually thinking, her blush returned tenfold as she let out a tiny squeak and fainted , much to the surprise and shock of her teammates and her sensei who had caught her before she could hit the ground.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

'_Oh well, I'll remember it sooner or later…' _

After a few more minutes of walking, he arrived at Team 7's meeting place, idly noting that both Sasuke and Sakura were already there. Of course, their ever tardy sensei was still missing and he wouldn't show up for another three hours.

Finally making it to the bridge, Naruto raised up his hand and waved towards his two teammates, "Hiya Sakura-chan!"

Sakura, startled from her thoughts about the raven haired Uchiha beside her turned towards the source of the noise, only to freeze as she caught site of the black-clad jinchuuriki, "Naruto…is that you?!" Beside her, Sasuke stepped away from the railing to get a better look at the changed boy, not quite believing what he was seeing.

Naruto smiled at the disbelief in the pink haired girl's voice, he was finally getting noticed by Sakura-chan! "Hehe, like it Sakura-chan? I just got them yesterday…"

Sakura looked at Naruto, as if seeing him for the first time. Gone were the atrocious orange and blue clothing, replaced with a stylish black assembly. The orange pants were replaced with midnight black shinobi pants, much like the navy blue style of their tardy sensei, and the top had been replaced with similar coloured shirt that showed off his developing arms. On top, he wore a dark maroon jounin-like vest lined with pockets. Unbidden, a small blush rose to her cheeks, _'Wow…Naruto actually looks…good…'_

Realizing what he had asked her, she reigned in her awe of Naruto's new clothing and turned her head away in a huff, "Of course not baka…Sasuke-kun still looks better than you."

Deflated, Naruto turned towards the last of the Uchiha, the next one to comment on his new appearance, "What's with the new clothes dobe?" He asked cautiously. Sasuke himself had been surprised by the change of wardrobe, the dead-last actually _looked_ like a real shinobi, instead of the typical eye-sore that he usually was.

'_Even though he may have changed his clothing, it doesn't make him a better ninja… I will always be stronger than him…'_ Satisfied with his logical reasoning, he returned his focus back to the yellow haired idiot, waiting for his answer.

"Why should I tell you teme? But if you really wanna know, I got them after Kakashi-sensei gave us the scrolls for training." Satisfied with the explanation, the uncaring brooder turned back around to lean against the railing.

Two and a half more hours passed like this, Sasuke just stood there, his face a carefully cultivated mask if indifference while he thought of different ways to kill Itachi. Sakura meanwhile had taken a seat on the bridge itself, idly playing with a fallen leaf after having gotten tired of just looking at the brooding Sharingan user.

Naruto himself was seated on the railing in between his two teammates, wondering about all the things that had happened in the two days. He had met the demon that was sealed inside of him, not one of his more pleasant experiences but in doing so, he had met possibly the greatest shinobi to ever live, the Yondaime Hokage. Not only that, it seemed that every time he went to sleep, Minato-sama would be there, waiting for him.

On top of that, he had gotten a brand new teacher, well, two actually. Jiraiya of the Sannin, arguably the strongest Sanin from the legendary trio, the one who _taught_ the greatest Hokage to ever live and the only man powerful enough to match the Sandaime. Then there was the Fourth Hokage, the single 

most feared ninja in the world…at least when he was alive that is. Being taught by these two legends, he knew that his dream to become Hokage was now more than just a dream.

No to mention all the other little changes… His first kill as a ninja of his village, his new clothing, the fact that he had _signed_ the summoning contract for one of the three great summons of Konoha, the Toads, and everything he had learnt about the seal that kept the Kyuubi at bay.

'_My life is finally taking a turn for the better…' _Naruto thought happily. He was violently broken from his musings of his life as a muffled poof sounded right next to him, throwing him into the water below.

Sputtering for air, the blonde broke through the surface and climbed onto his feet while still on the water, ignoring the shocked and angry looks from his teammates and sensei, "Damn it Kakashi-sensei! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on us like that?"

Quickly masking his surprise at both the new clothing -he really didn't think Naruto would take his advice- and the new skill, Kakashi chuckled slightly behind his mask and raised a hand in greeting, "Maa, sorry Naruto, but remember, a good ninja should always be aware of his surroundings." Angrily muttering about lazy, perverted teachers and how they shouldn't be allowed to just pop up from nowhere, Naruto easily made his way across the water and back onto the bridge to join his teammates.

Sasuke stared at the wet blonde beside him in silent rage, _'How is the dobe able to do that already? Even I can't do it yet and I'm an Uchiha!' _Turning his attention back towards their wayward sensei, he silently promised himself to find the dobe's source of power.

Sakura meanwhile, was still in a state of shock. She of course knew that ninja could walk on water, having seen Kakashi-sensei do it in his battle against Zabuza, but she had no idea that _Naruto_ of all people could do it also, _'I bet Sasuke-kun knows how to do it too, he just doesn't want to embarrass the dead-last.' __**'CHAA! Hell yeah! Sasuke-kun's the best!'**_Inner Sakura added helpfully, rigorously punching the air in front of her. Satisfied with her reasoning, she turned back towards her jounin sensei.

"Right, now that we're all set, let's head to the Hokage Tower, we have a new mission to do." All three genin of Team 7 gulped audibly as Kakashi's eye-smile seemed to turn almost evil…almost being the keyword.

Arriving at the Hokage's Tower, Team 7 made their way to the top where the missions were handed out. Opening the door, they made their way through the crowd to the front of the large, administrative desk where Kakashi spoke up, "Team 7 reporting for mission Hokage-sama."

The aging Hokage looked up, a warm smile greeting the jounin. "Ah, good to see you today Kakashi, I assume you're here for the mission for you and your team today." Even as Kakashi nodded, his agile eyes looked over the group, quickly searching out the orange wearing boy he thought of as a grandson, only to see a black clad boy in his place, "Naruto, is that you?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head in an obvious sign of embarrassment as he walked forward, "Hai oji-san, I just got them yesterday…after all, if I want to be a shinobi, I have to look like one."

The Sandaime just smiled slightly, being one of the few people that _really_ knew why he had worn the orange clothing, he was happy to see that someone had finally let Naruto buy some new clothing from their store, "Certainly, a shinobi must dress the part. Now, onto your mission, here are the details."

Walking forward and taking the scroll from the edge of the mahogany desk, Kakashi bowed towards the Hokage and walked out the door, his team following his example and leading behind him.

Once they were back outside, the elite jounin easily opened the scroll and read through the details, finishing a few seconds later by throwing it into the air and incinerating it with a small, nameless katon jutsu.

Turning back to his team, he was greeted with blank stares of disbelief. Sweat dropping, Kakashi realized that he had just burnt the mission scroll and the three genin had no idea why, "You might not know this, but whenever you receive a scroll with the details for a high ranking mission, you should burn it after you have read _and_ memorized it. This way, nobody else can know your mission statistics that you might not want knowing…"

"But…we don't have a high ranking mission Kakashi-sensei…do we?" Sakura almost seemed _scared_ at the prospect of doing another high ranking mission. After their last C turned A-rank mission, she _knew _she wasn't ready for another one anytime soon. But she knew that as long as Sasuke-kun was on her team, he would be able to save her if she got into any trouble she couldn't handle herself.

Kakashi simply eye-smiled to easy her fears, "No we don't have a high ranking mission, I just burnt the scroll out of habit…we only have a D-rank mission. Our mission for today is to capture Tora the cat."

Kakashi watched on in amusement as both Sasuke and Sakura tensed when they heard the accursed cat's name. This had to be the twentieth time they had been assigned this mission because of their rate of success. Most other teams just quit after the second time around, refusing to go after the damned feline, but since both Sasuke and Naruto, and by proxy Sakura didn't want to fail a _D-rank_ mission, they had no choice but to do it.

But as he turned his gaze towards Naruto, he wasn't sure whether to be pleased or scared of the strange little smile on the jinchuuriki's whiskered face.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Mission to retrieve Tora the cat successfully completed Hokage-sama…" Kakashi drawled out, the orange little book of literary smut curiously missing from his hands.

Team 7 stood before the Sandaime Hokage three and a half hours later, having finally succeeded in capturing the cat after chasing it through the forests of Konoha. Each genin had numerous cuts and scratches adorning their face, body, and clothing, none more so than Sasuke after the thrice damned cat had literally jumped onto his face.

Little did they know that it was only because of Naruto's careful planning that had caused the cat to use Sasuke's face as a scratchboard. The owner of the runaway cat, a large woman with copious amounts of jewellery and makeup came forward, taking it from Sakura and slowly suffocating it to death between her assets.

Free of the cat, Sakura moved to stand beside Sasuke, a packet of medical bandages in her hand as she tried to get Sasuke to let her heal him, "Please Sasuke-kun, your bleeding…at least let me clean the blood." Sakura pleaded, but the Uchiha scion continued to ignore her.

Naruto stood off to the side, silently snickering to himself as he remembered the comment Obito had said to Kakashi, "Just let her heal you teme, don't be such a dickhead…" Looking out from the corner of his eyes, Naruto watched as Kakashi's entire body froze in shock before he forced himself to relax.

Turning around, Kakashi made his way towards his team, "Care to repeat that Naruto? I didn't quite hear you…" He asked casually, pulling out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise in the process. Naruto just turned to look towards his other two teammates, easily hiding his smile, "Well, if Sakura-chan wants to heal the teme, he should just let her instead of being all stuck up about it."

'_Must have been a coincidence…I mean what are the chances of Naruto knowing my nickname…?' _Kakashi just nodded his head before he turned back to the Hokage, "If that is all Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime looked up from the mission report he had been reading, a particularly gruesome one if the constant grimaces on his aged face were anything to go by, "Ah, yes… That is all for today Kakashi…you are dismissed." Bowing to the Hokage, Kakashi bid a quick goodbye to his team before poofing away in a cloud of white smoke at supersonic speeds.

Naruto smirked as the jounin poofed away to god knows where. He was sure that he had thoroughly freaked out his sensei, but knowing the one-eyed pervert, he would have probably just passed it on as a coincidence. All of Team Seven turned and bowed to the Sandaime before they made their way down the stairs and out onto the streets of the village.

Knowing that he had at least thirty more minutes before he had to go and meet up with his secondary sensei, Naruto decided to get a few bowls of ramen to eat, and he might as well invite his team along with him. Kakashi-sensei _did _always say that teamwork was important, "Hey guys…I was wonde-…what the hell…? Where did they go?" Looking down the street that led away from the Hokage Tower, he spotted the tell-tale signs of raven black hair signifying with pink locks trailing behind him.

"Humph…damn bastard, couldn't even tell me he was leaving." Huffing angrily, Naruto turned around and walked down the other street, on his way to Ichiraku Ramen. Walking down the people crowded street, he noticed that the stares of curiosity and wariness were still there, although some people seemed to have resumed staring at him with hatred. What _did_ peak his interest though, was that the younger girls were still staring at him with the stares filled with…_something_ that he knew he had seen somewhere before, but for the life of him couldn't figure out where. It was like a constant nagging, an uncomfortable itch in the back of his mind, easy to ignore, but still there no matter how much you ignored it.

After a few more minutes of leisure walking, Naruto managed to make it to the ramen stand without incident. Most of the time in the past, whenever he walked through Konoha, he had always had at least one inebriated villager try to teach the Demon of Konoha a lesson. But ever since he had become a ninja, the attacks had been occurring less and less until they had just…stopped one day. Personally, he chalked it up to the fact that he was now a genin and able to _defend_ himself. Little did he know was that the Sandaime had ANBU constantly watching over him since he had become a genin to take care of any…problems he might have with the villagers and the rare ninja. Lately though, even the ANBU had become less and less necessary as Naruto became more capable of protecting himself.

Taking his favourite seat in the small restaurant, Naruto frowned as he saw that no one else was there. Nobody really wanted to eat in the same place as the Demon. He had always wondered why Teuchi let him eat at their restaurant when all it did was drive away their customers, so he had asked the Old Man one day. The answer he had gotten was one of the main reasons why he treasured the Ichiraku family as his most precious people.

"_Those that can't see through their own hatred and misguided contempt to the person that you truly are Naruto don't deserve to eat here. You are a hero of this village; don't let anybody else ever tell you otherwise…and besides you eat more ramen in one sitting that most of my other customers eat in an entire week."_

He hadn't really known about the Kyuubi back then, so he couldn't really appreciate how much that had meant to him, but know that he did, he realized that both Teuchi and Ayame had been the first two villagers to openly acknowledge him for who he was, and _not _what he contained. In the end, it wasn't his decision to drive away their customers, if they chose not to eat here just because of him and as long as Teuchi was okay with it, he could deal with the guilt.

Drifting away from his thoughts, Naruto realized that Ayame had just come out of the back and was patiently waiting for his order, "Hi Ayame-chan, ten bowls of the usual please…"

"Coming right up Naruto…" Ayame smiled at their best customer as she put the noodles into the pot of boiling water, quickly looking over the new clothing that he had on, "Hey, when did you get the new clothes?"

"Oh these, I got them yesterday…how do they look?" Standing up from his stool, Naruto stood in front of Ayame to let her get a better look at his new clothing. Although he wouldn't actually admit it, Ayame's opinion meant a lot to him.

Ayame smiled a coy little smile; the lightest tinge of red coloring her cheeks a healthy pink, "I like them…I think they look nice." Naruto actually looked _good_ now. Not to say that he didn't before, but instead of the childish innocence that Naruto used to simply exude when he wore the vibrant orange clothing, he now looked like a real shinobi and a damn good one at that. Looking back at Naruto's face, she could now see a light pink shade to his cheeks, no doubt the same as hers.

She was broken of her musings of Naruto's new clothing when the cerulean eyed genin cleared his throat the get her attention, "Um Ayame-chan…the noodles are done…" Turning to the boiling pot of water, the plain haired waitress expertly rinsed the noodles and within a few moments, a piping hot bowl of Miso ramen was in front of Naruto.

Naruto smiled happily and broke apart his chopsticks, and with a quick, "Itadakimasu!" he dug into the ramen, although at quite a more subdued pace than normal for him, after all, now that he was a genin, who knew when he'd get to taste the absolute nirvana that was Ichiraku Ramen again. Quickly finishing the first bowl, Naruto patiently waited for the next, absent-mindedly noting that old man Teuchi wasn't there, "Hey…where's the old man?"

Startled, Ayame looked up from cutting the vegetables to the curious Naruto, "Oh dad? He actually caught something, probably just the cold that's been floating around lately, so I forced him to stay home and in bed today until he gets better…"

"Oh, I hope he gets better soon, and tell him I said hi…" Naruto said, smirking at the last part; it was just like Ayame to force you to do something if it concerned your health. He even remembered a time over six years ago when a ten year old Ayame had stayed with him in his dingy little apartment, taking care of him for over two weeks when he had mysteriously become sick for the first and hopefully last time in his life.

He was broken out of his thoughts as another hot bowl of ramen was placed in front of him by Ayame, and he suddenly realized that she had to take care of all of the customers by herself, so he should at least help her out for all that they had done for him. Besides, Jiraiya could wait, "Ayame-chan…do you need some help…you look tired."

Looking up from her work, the brown haired waitress absent-mindedly wiped her brow with a clean cloth from her apron before she answered, "Oh…no it's okay…it's not like there have been a lot of customers today… Thanks though." Naruto just stared at her for a moment before he nodded, "If you say so…but if you ever need some help, just ask me alright."

"Sure…" Ayame smiled prettily at the offer, getting back to making the next bowl of ramen.

Naruto returned to his now cool ramen, but while he enjoyed the food of the Gods, a certain white-haired pervert was making his way towards a secluded part of the Konoha to meet his newest student.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Jiraiya of the Sannin sighed tiredly, more because of his thoughts than any sort of exhaustion as he stored away his white telescope. Turning back towards the male side of the hot springs, he jumped down from his perch on the tree he had been on to the far side of the hot spring. It seemed like he 

just couldn't concentrate on his research today…not after what he had learnt of the day before from his sensei and Hokage of Konoha. He was still angry at his sensei for what he had kept from his regarding Naruto, even though he _did_ understand the old man's reasoning.

'_Damn gaki, even when he's not around, he still finds ways to annoy me…just like his father…' _Mentally grumbling about blonde haired brats and how annoying they were, Jiraiya found himself thinking back to the tragic day over twelve years ago and the reason why he had initially left the village of leaf, the day he lost both the man he thought of as a son, and his one and only godson.

**XX FlashBack XX**

_The rain beat down endlessly on the scorched ground, washing away the blood from the hundreds, if not thousands of lives lost that day to the king of demons, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. _

_Walking through the ring of ninja's, Jiraiya strode up to stand beside the previous Hokage of Konoha, the Sandaime. The Toad Sannin sadly gazed down at the two bodies lying down on the cratered wet ground, eyes misting up as he finally realized that they were indeed gone._

_The first was of the Yondaime Hokage, the Yellow Flash of Konoha who had single-handily defeated the beast after calling upon the Death God. His skin was still a healthy tan, signifying that he had just recently died. Even in death, the blonde haired Hokage had a smile on his face, probably thinking of all of his precious people he had saved from the beast's wrath. _

'_Damned brat…why didn't you let me or the Old Man use the blasted jutsu… You had so much for live for…so much to accomplish in and for this village…you could have been the greatest Hokage since the Shodai…_'

The_ other was of his son, Namikaze Naruto, cradled safely in his father's arms even in death. His skin was an ashen white that clashed sharply with his tuft of sunny yellow hair and cobalt blue eyes as sharp as the sky itself if they had been open. He didn't need to look for a pulse to know that the child was dead._

'_What a cruel world this is that we live in…' Jiraiya mused morbidly. The boy was not even a day old and he had already been taken by the inescapable clutches of death itself, sacrificed for the greater good of the village that didn't even know of his existence._

_Turning towards the ex-Hokage, Jiraiya simply nodded in his direction before walking back to way he had come to the outside of the ring of ninja. He could already hear the Sandaime commanding the able bodied shinobi and kunoichi alike, telling them what to do with the bodies of the two sacrifices._

'_I guess there's nothing left for me in this village anymore, my student and his wife are both dead, my godson's dead, and the Old Man will be able to fill in the position of Hokage for at least a few more years… All that's left for me it to take care of the threats from outside the village…not to mention Orochimaru's still out there…' _

_Walking out of the forest and to the destroyed east gate, Jiraiya looked up as the rain started to dim, allowing his tears to flow freely as he left the village, not to return for the next twelve years._

**XX FlashBack End XX**

'_I _know_ Naruto was dead when I saw him with the Yondaime twelve years ago…and even though the Sandaime told me why he didn't tell me that the gaki was alive, that still doesn't explain _how_ he came back to life… Maybe it had something to do with the Kyuubi…'_

Not wanting to walk to their agreed upon meeting place, Jiraiya simply decided to use the **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)**. Coating his entire body in a thin film of invisible chakra, the Toad Sannin disappeared in a burst of speed, invisible to all but the Sharingan. Leaves and dust rushed in to fill the vacuum left by his body, swirling around in a whirlwind of debris before settling down.

Not a few seconds later, the white haired pervert appeared in the desolated clearing, a grimace of slight pain visible on his face. He _really _shouldn't have done that, now his legs were going to be aching for the rest of the day, _'I just had to use it to travel almost halfway across the village…'_

There was a reason why shinobi and kunoichi alike only used the **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)** in quick, short bursts because of the unbelievable amount of strain it put on the body. While most ninja that didn't know the technique thought it to be a sort of teleportation technique, they couldn't be further from the truth. It was more of an _incredibly _large burst of speed, pushing your muscles to the limits to achieve it, very similar to opening the Celestial Gates, although a lot less damaging because of the short duration. Still, it caused massive amounts of strain to the entirety of a ninja's body to travel at such mind boggling speeds, and using it more than once in a row was highly advised against.

Then again, there were some ninja out there that took simple techniques such as the **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)** to a whole new level, the most noted example being the Yondaime Hokage, aptly known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha. The man had been a genius, plain and simple; nobody could match him when it came to designing and learning ninjutsu.

Namikaze Minato had _completely_ revolutionized the way the technique worked, even going so far as to make his own, improved alternative, only without the added side-effects and weaknesses that came along with the original. That was why the **Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)**, built on the principles of the **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)**,was classified as an S-rank kinjutsu, there was no strain placed on the body of the user no matter the amount of times it was used. He had enhanced the speed until it became _instantaneous_,whereas the speed of the **Shunshin (Body Flicker) **was dependant on the muscular capacity of the ninja; after all, you could only go as fast as your muscles allowed you to even when pushed to their limits.

Add to those facts that the travelling distance of the **Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God)** was not limited in any way, shape or form, that it _couldn't_ be sensed by an enemy ninja unlike the **Shunshin (Body Flicker)**, _and_ there were no required hand seals, and you had one hell of a technique.

He was broken from his thoughts of his late student as the sound of rippling water reached his highly trained ears. Turning around to look at the small river running through the length of the clearing, he saw the now black clad Naruto leisurely walking towards him.

'_Lazy brat…most genin would be running at the chance to be trained by me, and this gaki's walking as if he's got all the time in the world…'_

"Hurry up gaki! I haven't got all day you know!" Jiraiya bellowed out. He watched with a smirk as Naruto almost sank into the water before he regained his control and sprinted towards his direction. Jumping onto dry land, Naruto skid to a stop in front of the perverted Sannin, "Hehe, sorry… I was just thinking of some things…" Naruto said sheepishly.

Grumbling angrily about stupid yellow haired brats, Jiraiya decided to just get on with the training, "Alright brat, you've already signed the contract, now you need to learn how to summon." Jiraiya said, making Naruto instantly snap to attention, "Now pay attention, because I'm only doing this once."

Raising his hand, the white haired Sannin easily bit into his thumb with practiced easy before slowly running through five hand seals so that the blonde genin could see them.

Naruto watched on, concentration visible on his features as he tried to engrave the five simple hand seals into his mind. Unlike his emo teammate, he didn't have the coveted Sharingan that could copy jutsu and hand seals with just a glance, _'That reminds me, now I can't use my jutsu in front of the stupid teme…' _He had seen what the Sharingan could in battle after having watched the fight between Zabuza and Kakashi, and that was only with _one_ Sharingan eye. Who knew how strong Sasuke would become after evolving his Sharingan into the last level…

Returning his attention to the legendary shinobi in front of him, the jinchuuriki watched as Jiraiya slammed his hands into the ground after completing the necessary hand seals, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**"

Naruto had only a scant few seconds to see innumerable seals, inky and black, snake their way across the ground from the Sannin's hand, expanding in an outwards circle before they were covered in a shroud of dirty white smoke.

A gust of wind flew through the desolate clearing, blowing away the cloud of smoke to reveal a giant frog, easily ten feet high with Jiraiya on its head, "See brat, easy as that, now you try…remember to use as much chakra as you can." Jiraiya said, hopping off the toad which disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Turning towards the blonde runt, he waited in anticipation.

Naruto gulped, nervous about actually summoning something now that he knew how to do it. Sure, he had been happy to learn such a powerful skill, but what if he couldn't? What if Jiraiya decided to not teach him anymore because of his inability to do the jutsu?

Jiraiya, easily noticing the nervous expression on Naruto's face frowned in thought. Why would the brat be nervous? From what he had heard and even seen himself on occasion, the boy didn't even know the meaning of nervous, always running into situations head on without any thought or consideration, so why would he be nervous now?

Thinking for a few more moments, he remembered something he had learnt about the brat's jounin sensei. Could it be that he was afraid of disappointinghim? After all, Kakashi hadn't really taught Naruto all that much, and now that he finally had an actually teacher who was willing to teach him, he didn't want to fail that teacher.

Jiraiya smiled warmly, it was nice to actually be needed by somebody, someone that actually valued your opinion. In his past twelve years of travel through the elemental countries tracing Orochimaru's movements and finding more information on a new group of unnamed but highly dangerous criminal, his only source of companionship had been his numerous informants and the odd geisha's.

Deciding that some…_motivation_ was in order, Jiraiya started motivating a headstrong and stubborn shinobi like Naruto the only way he knew how, by doubting the hell out of them, "What's the matter gaki? Can't even do a simple technique like the **Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**, maybe I _should_ have gone after the Uchiha instead of you…"

Naruto blinked as he tried to comprehend what the Sannin had said before gritting his teeth in anger. Once again he was about to be looked over for the Uchiha, just because he had the fucking Sharingan that let him copy another ninja's hard earned techniques. However, that nervousness and anger was quickly replaced with the rock hard determination that had gotten him through his shitty life so far. Why should he be afraid? He was Uzumaki _fucking _Naruto, jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and future Hokage of Konoha, and there was nothing he couldn't do…he'd show the perverted bastard just how wrong he was.

"I'll show you what I can do Ero-sennin…" Naruto fumed. Stepping away from the perverted lecher and expertly ignoring his gawking expression, the blonde jinchuuriki called upon his massive reserve of chakra…and it came.

A faint, barely visible aura of blue chakra surrounded the genin as he clawed up more and more of the life giving energy. Satisfied with the amount and absent-mindedly biting his thumb until it bled, he slowly went through the five necessary hand seals and raised his bloodied hand into the air before slamming it into the soil with much more force than necessary, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**"

A web of chakra empowered seals exploded forth from his hand before Naruto's figure was obscured in a shroud of white smoke. Jiraiya watched on from the side, an unreadable expression on his face as he thought of what he had felt, _'That was a hell of a lot of chakra all right…but still…' _

A small breeze blew through the clearing, carry away the white cloud of smoke. Both Naruto and Jiraiya looked on, anticipation visible on their features only to sweat drop as a small, green toad, less than a foot high and wearing a navy blue jacket appeared, looking around in wonder before raising its gaze to meet theirs.

"Hiya!" The diminutive toad spoke up, surprising the hell out of Naruto. After all, this was the first time he had heard a toad talk, the ones that Jiraiya had summoned never getting a change to before they disappeared, "My name's Gamakichi…can I have some candy?"

A moment of complete and utter silence passed through the clearing before Jiraiya erupted into laughter.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Pale lilac eyes gazed off to the side as their crimson-eyed sensei bid them goodbye before quickly walking out of the training ground. But Hinata didn't even notice their jounin sensei leaving, being a Hyuuga, she was very astute to the feeling of chakra whenever it was being used, and she had easily felt that massive flare coming from not too far away before it suddenly disappeared.

Seeing that their sensei was gone and seeing no further reason to remain himself, Shino got up off the ground and turned towards his two other teammates, "Farewell…Kiba…Hinata…" Finished with his stoic parting, the bug using genin walked off of the field and towards his clan compound.

Noticing that he was the only one left, Inuzuka Kiba got up and turned towards the shy Hyuuga heiress to say his own goodbye's, his partner Akamaru hot on his heels, "Hey Hinata-chan…I guess I should get going too…." However, noticing her distracted state, he decided to ask if anything was wrong, "Um, Hinata-chan…you okay?"

Hinata snapped her head back towards her remaining teammate, a small blush of embarrassment visible on her soft face, "G-gomen Kiba-kun…I thought I saw s-something o-over there…"

Kiba just smiled wolfishly, grinning softly as he looked towards the bushes the pale-eyes girl had been looking at, "Well, me and Akamaru don't smell anything, do we boy?" The white haired dog just barked loudly in response, his tail wagging back and forth happily.

Remembering what he was actually going to do, the Inuzuka picked up his canine and stuffed him into his jacket, "Well Hinata-chan, it's time for me and Akamaru to go, I'll see you tomorrow."

Getting up as well, the lavender haired angel bid her energetic teammate a good bye, watching as he ran off to the Inuzuka Compound. As soon as he was out of sight though, she turned back towards the direction of that chakra flare, _'I-I've felt that chakra b-before somewhere…but w-where…' _She _knew_ for a fact that she had felt it somewhere before, she just couldn't remember it.

Now Hyuuga Hinata may be shy, but she was also a very curious person. Being naturally inquisitive, she loved to solve puzzles and learn new things, it was one of the reasons that she was so interested in Naruto, at least in the beginning.

When she had first seen the orange-clad boy out on the streets, she didn't understand why he was treated the way he was, scorned by the majority of the civilians for no apparent reason. Naturally, she wanted to find out more about the blonde enigma, and that's when she had discovered who Uzumaki Naruto was, the immovable pillar of strength and determination. Now she knew almost everything there was to know about the blue-eyed genin, except why he was hated by the majority of the village. That was one fact that continued to elude her no matter how much she looked into it.

But back onto the topic at hand, she knew that she wouldn't be able to rest until she figured out who was responsible for that flare of chakra, and she didn't have to be back at the Hyuuga Compound until sometime later.

Getting up, the Hyuuga heiress made her way towards the mesh of bushes and pushed her way through. Walking for a few minutes through a mostly wooded area, she came upon another web of relatively bushes and shrubbery. Making a hole big enough to see through but still small enough to conceal her, she saw that the trail cleared into a large, open, and most of all beautiful clearing.

But she was quickly distracted from her observation of the glade as she spotted two figures near the center. One was a tall man who seemed to be laughing. He was easily bigger than her father with white, spiky hair cascading down his back and wearing a weird combination of red and green clothing.

The other was a boy not much older than her, most likely a shinobi from his black clothing, who was currently crouched onto the ground. She gasped softly as she recognized the blonde hair jutting out of his head, contrasted sharply with the black outfit, "N-Naruto-kun!" She loudly squeaked out, well, as loud as a shy girl like her would.

Quickly covering her mouth so that she wouldn't be spotted, the lavender haired heiress continued to look on.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto grumbled angrily as his new sensei continued to laugh out loud. The man _still_ hadn't shut up after he had seen what he had summoned, "It's not that small…" Naruto complained irritably.

Jiraiya just continued to laugh, but noticing the angry expression on his apprentice's face, decided it was time to stop. Wiping a tear from his eye, the Sannin quickly calmed down, "Hehe, that was hilarious brat. You used all that chakra, and that's all you managed to summon…"

Suddenly looking up and towards the undergrowth of bushes, he held up a hand to stop Naruto's remark and quietly slipped a kunai into his hand from his sleeve. Although the ninja didn't seem too strong, you could never be too careful, "Be quiet brat, we've got some company."

Shutting his mouth, Naruto looked towards the spot where his sensei was looking, only to see a kunai fly through the air and imbed itself into the ground in front of the group of high bushes, "Who's out here."

"A-ano, I d-didn't mean t-to disturb you…" A faint voice floated across the clearing as the bushed parted to reveal Hinata in her beige coloured coat.

Naruto's eyes widened before he grinned happily as he recognized the voice, it was one of the scant few individuals in this village that were actually nice to him, "Hey Hinata, come over here, no need to hide!" Blushing slightly, the Hyuuga heiress made her way over towards the pair.

Jiraiya spoke up from the side, realizing that this wasn't a threat of any sort, "Ah, so you're the Hyuuga Clan's heir…Hiashi-san's daughter if I remember correctly." Watching her nod shyly, he smiled widely as he turned towards his newest student, "Well you're just in time to see this gaki _try_ to summon some toads again."

As if noticing the orange amphibian at her feet for the first time, Hinata let out a tiny squeak of surprise as she quickly took a step back, only to blink owlishly as it raised its webbed feet and _talked_, "Yo! I'm Gamakichi, do you have any candy…"

Still blinking owlishly, as if not believing her eyes, Hinata quickly regained herself and reached into her equipment pouch, rummaging around for a few moments before taking out a few pieces of orange flavoured candy, "A-Are these o-okay…?" She said quietly, lowering her hand so that the toad could take the offered treat.

Hopping forward, Gamakichi took the offered treats and popped on into his mouth, "These are delicious; you're the best nee-chan!" Blushing at the praise, Hinata just quietly thanked the frog before returned her attention to Naruto and the white haired man, "You're J-Jiraiya of the S-Sannin." The pale-eyed girl stuttered out.

"Ah, so it seems that my fame precedes me…" The white haired pervert chuckled haughtily, before turning to Naruto, "Alright, now try it again…just try to control your chakra more…and Hinata-him, you might want to step back." Blushing demurely at her new nickname, she did as she was told.

Naruto simply nodded, concentrating his chakra like before as he bit his thumb again and ran through the five hand seals, noticeably faster than before, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**"

A poof of smoke later, a green and pink toad only slightly smaller than Gamakichi was looking up at the blonde haired jinchuuriki, "Hiya!" The toad said, the light soprano and high pitched tone signifying that it was a girl, "I'm Gamamabui! Wanna play with me?"

"Not again! What the hell am I doing wrong?" Frustrated with his progress, Naruto sat down onto the ground to mull over the situation. Off to the side, Gamakichi jumped towards Gamamabui and stood beside her, giving her a piece of his orange flavoured candy.

Jiraiya walked back up towards his student, "It's not what you doing wrong brat, the problem is that you just can't control your chakra effectively enough. You can throw as much chakra as you can into a jutsu, but if you can't control it to do what you want it to do; you'll just be wasting it even if you do have more than twice the amount of chakra I do."

"J-Jiraiya-sama is right N-Naruto-kun…" Having forgotten all about Hinata, Naruto quickly turned his head towards the Hyuuga heiress only to notice that she had stopped talking and was now quietly looking away with a faint, red hue on her cheeks, the same one he'd seen from all the girls during his walks through the village. He idly noted that the veins around her eyes were bulging outwards.

'_That's it!' _That's where he had seen strange stare before…it was from Hinata! Thinking back to his days at the Academy, he remembered all the times he had looked at the admittedly shy girl, only for her to look away with a faint red hue to her cheeks. But while he know knew where he had seen it from, he still didn't know _what_ it meant.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, had no trouble decipher what the look meant. He couldn't believe it; the _heir_ of the Hyuuga Clan had a _crush _of all things on Uzumaki Naruto, jailor of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and the village pariah. He idly wondered if Hiashi had any idea… Turning his attention back to the two genin, he silently watched on.

Seeing as Naruto was still expectantly looking at her, she gathered the rest of her courage and looked back at him, silently deactivating her Byakugan, "I c-can see the c-chakra you use with m-my bloodline l-limit, it all j-just floats away…" Finished with her explanation, she quickly looked away again.

"Wow…so you can actually see chakra with your bloodline limit?" Naruto looked almost awed at the fact; it must be so cool to be able to see chakra. Hinata just nodded shyly, pleased that Naruto actually seemed to like what her eyes could do.

Making a noise to get their attention, Jiraiya continued as both genin looked towards him, "Now since you can control you own chakra enough to summon anything big Naruto, we'll just have the find another source, namely, that giant well of nearly unlimited chakra inside of you."

Naruto blinked in confusion before it dawned on him. The pervert wanted him to use the _Kyuubi's_ chakra, "What! How the hell do I do that?" And he wasn't actually pleased at having to rely on the demon's power, the feelings of how it felt during the mission to Wave still fresh in his mind. It was like he could do anything, the power, the rush of invincibility, but also the anger and hatred that came along with all that power.

Hinata stood off to the side, not entirely sure what the two were talking about. So for the moment, she would just wait and see what happened.

"Don't worry about that gaki, I've figured out a way. You've already blown away a little more than a third of your chakra summoning these two and when you're body is put into certain situations, it will try to seek out more energy, and you have the biggest source of energy known to man inside of you." As he explained, Jiraiya had started to walk out of the clearing and towards the village. Turning back, he motion for the two of them to follow and quickly putting Gamakichi and Gamamabui onto his shoulder, they scrambled forward to catch up.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Jiraiya kept his face a calm façade as he led the two genin forward. They had been walking for a little over twenty minutes now, and Naruto had begun to talk animatedly about his various pranks that he had pulled over the years. The Hyuuga heiress walked beside him, a happy smile on her face as she listened to the boy she loved ramble on, nodding every once in a while.

'_I hope you can forgive me for what I'm about to do Minato…' _Turning around, Jiraiya spoke up, "Alright, we're here…Gamakichi, Gamamabui; I need to you hop onto my shoulders for a few moments." Confused about the request but not one to argue, both toads quickly jumped onto the Sannin's shoulders.

"Alright gaki listen up. To draw on that well of limitless energy, your body needs to be in a life or death situation. What I am about to do may be dangerous, but it's the only option we have left. Are you sure you want to do this?" Finished with his speech, the Toad Sannin waited patiently for the answer.

Hinata gasped softly, something resembling a horrid expression on her face at the fact that Naruto might get hurt while Naruto on the other hand just frowned, "I'll do whatever it takes to master this jutsu."

Hinata turned to Naruto in worry, "B-But N-Naruto-kun! You m-might g-get hurt…" While she would do anything to see him get stronger, she didn't want to see him hurt himself in the process. Naruto just looked at her with a warm smile, making her blush slightly at the flash of gratitude in his eyes. Hinata really was the nicest person he knew, no matter who it was; she was always concerned about them, even a demon like him, "Don't worry Hinata, I promise you I won't get hurt." Hinata just nodded slightly, placated for the moment. If Naruto promised her, she knew he wouldn't.

"Hey Naruto, enough chit chat, now, is there anything you want to do before we get started?" Startled for a moment at the strange request, Naruto nonetheless took the time to think of anything he could possibly want to do before they started whatever it was that the perverted hermit wanted to do.

He was broken from his thoughts again as Jiraiya spoke up, tired of having to wait for the blonde to think u of something. Damn gaki, it wasn't _that_ hard to think of something to do, "Well, do you have a girl that you like?"

Blushing slightly, Naruto scratched his cheek in an embarrassed manner before speaking up, "Well…there _is_ a girl that I like…" He admitted quietly. Off to the side, Hinata's eyes glazed over in sadness, she knew who Naruto was talking about.

"Then go hug that girl right now!" Jiraiya exclaimed loudly. Naruto just gawked at the probably insane Sannin, "What! Are you crazy! She won't ever let me come near enough to hug her; she only likes the Uchiha…and I've never really gotten a hug before either…" Both Hinata and Jiraiya looked down at that. Jiraiya looked away because he knew _why_ the boy hadn't even gotten that small amount of affection and it _sickened_ him. Nobody, not even a demon vessel should have to go through life like that. Hinata on the other hand, looked down because she knew that he deserved better, she herself could have given him what he needed most, but she couldn't because of her own cowardice.

Suddenly brightening up, The Sannin looked towards the two genin in front of him, "Hey gaki, why don't you give Hinata-hime here a hug instead?"

Naruto just looked stared at his sensei for a few moments before exploding in laughter, "Are you kidding me Jiraiya-sensei? Why the hell would Hinata, _heiress _of the Hyuuga Clan want to hug _me _of all people?"

He was broken from his laughing as Hinata spoke up from beside him, "A-Actually N-Naruto-kun…I w-wouldn't m-mind…" Whipping his head towards the pale-eyed girl, Naruto watched as she slowly began pushing her index fingers together, an action he idly thought made her look cute.

Hinata, on the other hand, was blushing a fierce red. The lavender haired heiress couldn't believe she had just admitted that to Naruto, but she knew she had to do it. It had been the _perfect_ opportunity to get a chance to hug the blonde haired genin, and she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't take it. So, after scrounging up the limited amount of courage she had, she continued, "Y-You can h-hug me if y-you want N-Naruto-kun…"

Hinata couldn't restrain a soft gasp that escaped her lips as a full blown and genuine smile blossomed onto Naruto's face, different that his usual foxy grins. Whereas the grin's that he showed everyone else scrunched up his eyes and stretched his face wide, this genuine smile was nothing but a small smile with open eyes, but it made all the difference. Unbridled joy shone in those sapphire orbs, lighting them up like priceless gemstones in the afternoon sun.

Without thinking Naruto walked forwards, gently wrapping his arms around the surprised girl, "Thank you Hinata-chan…" The pure and simple gratitude in that one sentence almost sent the shy girl over the edge, _nobody_ should be that happy just to receive a simples hug, but she held back her tears, she wouldn't cry now, not in front of Naruto.

Hesitantly, Hinata returned the hug, wrapping her small arms around him and resting her head against his chest, "I-It's okay N-Naruto-kun…" For once in her life, Hinata wasn't blushing, she wanted to enjoy this moment to the fullest, and she wasn't about to let her shyness get in the way.

Sadly, it was over all too soon for the pair as Jiraiya cleared his throat to get their attention. Tentatively, the two released each other, Naruto stepping back to see a red faced Hinata slowly pushing her fingers together. Scratching his head, Naruto smiled a small, happy grin, "Hehe, thanks Hinata…"

Although disappointed that he didn't use the chan suffix again, Hinata simply nodded again, happy to see Naruto smiling.

"Now that that's over, come here and stand where I'm standing…"

Doing as he was told, Naruto walked up to the Sannin and stood in his place as Jiraiya stepped back. Starting at him intently to make sure the blonde understood the seriousness of the situation, "I'm only going to ask you one more time, are you sure you want to do this?" His only response was a solid nod from Naruto.

Sighing in resignation, Jiraiya bought his hand up and raised it to Naruto's forehead and pushed him through the foliage.

Naruto hung in the air for a few moments, a strange mixture of surprise and disbelief on his features before he began to fall, hurtling through the air and towards the ground at break neck speeds. Even with the air whipping past his ears, he idly thought that he heard his name being screamed.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hinata watched as the light of her life flew over the edge of the cliff, "Naruto-kun!" A frightened scream tore through her throat as she watched him plummet, even with her bloodline limit; she couldn't see the bottom of the gorge. Even the two frogs, Gamakichi and Gamamabui jumped down onto the ground and rushed over to the edge.

'_N-No…no…h-he can-t d-die…he p-promised me…'_ She felt her heart plummet as Naruto's form disappeared into the inky darkness, no longer visible. Thoughts flashed through her head at what could have been, Naruto had finally begun to pay attention to her, and they had even _hugged_, but now it was all over…and it was all that man's fault.

Hinata turned, her Byakugan activating in pure rage as she leapt at the Sannin, but he wasn't known as possibly the strongest Sannin for a reason. Jiraiya's hands darted forward at untraceable speeds, easily catching her wrists and holding them in an unrelenting grip.

Hinata kept on struggling, futilely trying to free herself before he spoke up in a commanding voice, "Look Hinata, Naruto will be fine, I wouldn't have done this if I knew he would get hurt."

Still not quite trusting the Sannin but calming down, at least a little bit, Hinata peered over the edge and concentrated, hoping to the God's above that he was still alive. Nothing happened for a few moments, before her heart leapt into her throat in happiness as her Hyuuga training sensed his unforgettable chakra signature.

Jiraiya just smirked at the expression on Hinata's face, "Now watch, because you will never see anything like this again." Looking down, he saw Naruto try to grasp the stalagmites jutting out of the cliff face, only to keep on falling, _'You won't be able to stick to the surface with your miserable control…the only chance you have is to call upon the infinite energy of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and see if it was truly meant to protect you…'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

'_Damn it… If I don't do something soon…I'm going to die!' _Knowing that he was fast approaching the bottom, Naruto concentrated chakra into his hands before reaching out and grabbing onto the giant stones sticking out from the side. Seemingly slowing down, Naruto grinned happily only to hold back a pained scream a moment later as his shoulder popped out of its socket thanks to his speed.

Naruto scrunched up his eyes in pain, unsuccessfully trying to call the fox's power out to the surface. Well, at least he had gotten to hug another human being that wanted to hug him back. That was Hinata for you, always thinking about others…

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

The sound of dripping water reached his ears and Naruto almost wanted to tear his hair out in frustration. Why the hell was he back _here_ again? Opening his eyes, the jinchuuriki realized that he was once again in the hallways that led to the Kyuubi's cage, _'Huh, I guess I have to think of the place if I want to end up there…'_

Getting to his feet and following the translucent blue and red pipes, he made his way towards the liar of the so called great King of Demon's. The hallway soon ended in a flash of white light to reveal a gigantic room, in the middle stood the corporeal form of the **Shiki Fuuin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)**.

Walking up to the black and translucent bars of the cage, Naruto wasn't surprised to hear the voice of the Kyuubi, filled with hatred and twisted glee, float through the bars, **"Why are you here gaki?" **Naruto simply stared at the demon, not the least bit afraid as the Kitsune narrowed its crimson red eyes.

Glaring up at the fox, Naruto spoke, "Hey fox! I need some of power and since you _are_ living in my body, why don't you start giving me your chakra as rent?" Seemingly contemplating his words, the Kyuubi soon started chuckling, white teeth gleaming from the sparse light as the water reverberating under Naruto's feet, **"Why do you need it? As if you could even control my power. Remember that time on the bridge…?"**

Naruto grimaced slightly as he remembered what the Kyuubi's unfathomable power had felt like, but he knew that he had no choice. Even as he was walking to the fox, he knew that his body was still falling towards the bottom of the cliff, "Ero-sennin pushed me off of a cliff to help draw out your power and use it something to summon a big toad. Now give me some chakra or we're both going to die…" Maybe _that _would motivate the blasted fox. After all, being an immortal creature, the fox would hate to die before it could find a way to escape…not that it was going to.

This only caused the Kitsune to chuckle some more, **"So if you die, I die as well huh? You have guts ningen, threatening me like that… Take my power than Uzumaki Naruto, and use it well." **A coat of red energy crawled forth through the bottom of the enormous gate, wrapping the genin in its malevolent grip.

Naruto's now red eyes snapped open as he felt the unbelievable energy course through his veins in an erratic pattern, filling them until they felt like bursting, _'This is it…this feeling…' _Biting his thumb until it bled, the jinchuuriki quickly ran through the five hand seals and threw his hands in front of him, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**!"

An explosion of red and blue chakra burst forth from Naruto's hand, taking the shape of a giant frog before it disappeared inside of a giant shroud of white smoke. Naruto grinned; he _knew_ he had done it this time.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Jiraiya smiled as he felt the massive explosion of chakra and yokai, he knew that the brat would be able to do it, "Well done…" Hinata stood by his side, the two frogs now sitting on her shoulders as she gazed down the ravine in awe. She had felt that flare of chakra and was absolutely _amazed _that Naruto could generate that much, even her father couldn't come close, not even while using the **Kaiten (Divination Whirl)**, _'I k-knew you were s-strong Naruto-kun…'_

She was brought out of her thoughts as Jiraiya suddenly spoke up, "Now why did the gaki have to go and summon _him_?" Hinata only blinked in confusion as the Sannin quickly grabbed her and jumped away, "Come on Hinata-hime, we have to get out of here…It's going to mean trouble for me if he finds us."

**XXXXXXXXXX **

Naruto gazed down at the gigantic frog in wonder, the thing was freaking _huge_. Looking over the toad, Naruto realized that he had an oversized, brown pipe sticking out of its mouth and was wearing a blue and white overcoat. The only other thing noticeable on the amphibian was a long scar that raced down its left eye.

"**Oi! Where the hell am I?" **

Noticing the brat sitting on his head, the webbed summon tilted its head forward, making Naruto roll onto its nose, **"Hey brat, I'm the frog boss Gamabunta! Why the hell are you prancing around on my head and why did Jiraiya summon me in this hole?" **Gamabunta hollered out, he hadn't been summoned into the real world for quite some time, and he was surprised to find a blue-eyed runt with a strange blue and white triangle slowly spinning in both orbs.

Seeing as the Toad Boss seemed to be pissed off, Naruto decided to tread carefully in how he answered, "I-I summoned you Gamabunta-sama, not Jiraiya-sensei… He threw me off of the top of this cliff hoping that it would help me use the Kyuubi's chakra and I guess it worked. Then I used it to summon something, you came out…"

Pale yellow eyes seemed to stare at him attentively for a few moments before Gamabunta exploded in laughter. As if this little runt who looked like a genin could even hope of summoning him, **"Haha, good one brat, as if you could actually summon me. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"**

The jinchuuriki glared at the Frog Boss, the single triangle in both his eyes spinning faster and faster as his anger rose. Nobody underestimated him, even if it _was_ the leader of the Toad Clan, "I really did summon you! You can even ask Jiraiya-sensei, he's at the top of this cliff."

Gamabunta gazed upwards to the top of the cliff before seemingly making up his mind, **"At the top eh? Hang on brat; we're gonna fly…"** Naruto only had a second to ready himself before Gamabunta's tongue came up and wrapped around him, carrying him to his back before he flexed his hind legs and pushed off of the cliff walls, soaring through the air at unbelievable speeds.

Naruto grunted with effort as he tried to stay standing on top of the frog's back, even going so far as to concentrate chakra into his feet to make sure he stayed on Gamabunta's back. Reaching the apex of their flight, Naruto let out a sigh of relief as the pressure lifted and the Toad Boss hung in the air for a few moments, but that relief was short lived as they rocketed back to the ground, landing with a resounding crash that flattened the surrounding trees with the shockwave of air.

Losing his concentration because of the massive shockwave, Naruto let his grip over his chakra fade away, causing him to fall off of Gamabunta's back. Getting up from the ground, the blonde genin watched on as the frog laughed at his misfortune, "**Hey kid, even if I assume that you summoned me, there's no way I'll accept a guy that can't even stay on my back."**

Calming down, Gamabunta turned around and began to walk away, **"If there's no other business for me to attend to, I guess I should be on my way…" **Naruto watched helplessly as the summon walked away, laying waste to the surrounding trees, but the hopelessness was soon replaced with the same rock hard determination he was famous for. Crouching low to the ground, Naruto exploded forward in a full on sprint, running beside the Toad Boss before leaping onto his nose.

"Hey wait damn it!" Naruto huffed angrily. Looking on, Gamabunta watched curiously as the strange-eyed genin regained his breath and plopped himself down onto his nose, "You said that you won't accept me as your summoner because I can't even stay on your back… Well, to prove that I summoned you, I'll stay here for the whole day and not fall off. I'll _make_ you accept me as your summoner!"

Gamabunta smirked inwardly, he had to admit, the kid sure had guts to talk back to him. While the gaki may have the looks of his father, his personality and mannerisms were eerily similar to that of his mother. But still, he had to make the brat work for the privilege of summoning him, **"Now you've done it punk, I was being nice to you before and now you think you can talk back to me? Now let's see what you're made of…"**

Naruto screamed as the Toad Boss jumped over half a mile into the sky as he held on for dear life, "Now _you_ listen to me Gamabunta-sama…My name is Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konoha and no matter what you do, I _will_ make you accept me as your subordinate!" Said Toad Boss just ignored the little fly clinging onto his nose for dear life as he jumped into the air again as Naruto's screams rung in his ears.

The blonde haired jinchuuriki climbed onto the toad's head, finally getting a small break before Gamabunta leapt up again. Signing tiredly, he looked towards the direction he knew the pervert and Hinata were in, silently cursing the Sannin's existence for putting him in this situation. Looking over the horizon, Naruto saw that the sun was still high in the sky, now this was going to take a while…

**XXXXXXXXXX**

…It _did_ take a while, by the time the sun was setting, Naruto was barely hanging onto the toad, the last of his gigantic reserves depleted. Between the three summonings, his lack of control and trying to hold onto the blasted toad had dwindled even his legendary chakra capacity and stamina.

Both Jiraiya and Hinata, the two frogs having gone back to their realm, watched as with one final leap, the leader of the toads landed on a desolate lake near a small waterfall. Hesitantly, Naruto opened his eyes, noticing the lack of movement and rushing air. Looking at the sky, he realized that the sun had almost set…wait…that meant that he had stayed on for the whole day! Jumping to his feet, Naruto looked down into the pale yellows eyes of Gamabunta, "Ha! See that Boss, the day's almost over and I'm still on your back!" Finishing his gloating speech, Naruto closed his eyes as the blue triangles slowly swirled inwards before fading and fell back, exhausted from the trials he faced that day.

Gamabunta's tongue lashed out with surprising speed, catching the free falling blonde in its grasp before he gently lowered him to the ground, **"Too bad brat…you were so close to winning…" **Looking to the side out of the corner of his eyes, the Toad Boss watched as Jiraiya and a pale-eyed girl leapt down from the cliff to stand in front of him.

Surprisingly, it was the little lavender haired girl that spoke up first, "G-Gamabunta-sama, you s-shouldn't d-doubt Naruto-kun, he r-really d-din summon you…" As if to prove the fact, Jiraiya silently unrolled the scroll that Naruto had signed the other day, proudly showing off the signature.

Staring down at the scroll, Gamabunta returned his gaze to the two other ninja, **"You don't need to show me the scroll Jiraiya, I already knew that he summoned me with his own power…" **Turning his attention towards Hinata, he seemed to grin for a moment before speaking up, **"And who might you be?"**

Somewhat miffed at being ignored, Jiraiya decided it was time to speak up, "This is Hyuuga Hinata, heiress of the Hyuuga Clan." Bowing shyly towards the giant toad, Hinata slowly walked forward and sat down beside the sleeping form of Naruto. He looked peaceful, as if all of the troubles of the world had simply melted away…a look she never saw on his face while he was awake. Looking back at the Toad Boss, Hinata asked on question that had been bugging her, "B-But if you k-knew he summoned y-you…why d-did you make him s-stay on y-your h-head…?"

Gamabunta seemed to relax his shoulders as he took a puff on his pipe. Even though he didn't show it, he was exhausted. Hopping around through the forests of Fire Country for an entire day would tire even _him_ out, he was surprised the boy lasted as long as he did, **"Even though I knew he summoned me, he had to prove himself to me that he was a worthy summoner, and the gaki passed with flying colors." **Noticing that it was getting darker fast, Gamabunta decided it was time to go; after all he had to get back to his own real too, **"Jiraiya, you get Hinata-hime back to her clan compound, I'll take this gaki to the hospital, he must be dead tired right now… Remember to remind the gaki that he still has to have a drink with me before I officially call him my apprentice." **

The Sannin simply nodded his head and walked forward, gathering the summoning scroll and beckoning Hinata to follow. Watching for a few moments as the Sannin led the heiress away from the blonde; Gamabunta silently picked up the jinchuuriki and leapt towards Konoha.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The hospital shook at its foundations as the streets outside seemed to turn into jelly. The two busty and attractive nurses yelped in surprise before rushing to the window to see what was happening, only to see a giant cloud of fast dissipating smoke.

Looking down at the streets below, both nurses noticed the resident demon vessel lying down on the ground, a small smile of happiness on his peaceful face. After all, why wouldn't he be happy? He had just been through the most exciting day of his life yet with his new sensei and friend. He summoned _the_ Gamabunta and stay on his head for an entire day, something even the legendary Sannin Jiraiya can't boast about.

Not only that, he could now add another person to his short list of precious people, a shy little girl that practically radiated friendliness and happiness…Hyuuga Hinata. It was for people like her and his other precious people that he would become Hokage for, that he would gladly die fighting for just to protect their happiness, and by learning how to summon, his goal just became that much closer.

After all, what Uzumaki Naruto said he would do, he would accomplish or die trying and nothing would stand in his way… Believe It!

**XX AN XX**

Phew! Finally got the time and motivation to finish this freaking chapter…and this is what I ended up with, 35 pages worth of writing…

Here are some questions that came up in some reviews:

Q – When's Hinata going to show up?  
A – There you go…

Q – What's the bloodline limit going to do?  
A – I will tell you right now that it won't have _that _big of an active role in story but more of a passive one, where the result of Naruto having it and its effects overall will be the main point of the bloodline limit.

Q – What does using the Shinigami's chakra actually do?  
A – A hell of a lot of things… you people haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg concerning what the black chakra can and will do with… wait, why should I tell you…? :D

Q – Naruto too forgiving?  
A – Don't worry about that, he will get more…spiteful…

So, how was it? Sorry it took so long to get out, but this month was _really_ busy. Most of my other chapter will probably be shorter than, but you never know. My writing seems to be getting more and more descriptive.

On a side note, I absolutely loved writing about the stares that Naruto got from the villagers as he walked towards his teams meeting place and the little Naruto/Hinata scene so tell me what you thought of it.

Also, thank my Beta **weixuan18** and quasi-Beta's **Paladeus**, **pudgypudge **and **DarkHeroOrion **(brainstorming ideas). All four of them were a _major_ help in getting this chapter out.

And I would like to personally thank **Paladeus**, **Burnning Truth**, and **freshman007** for leaving me lengthy and extremely helpful reviews, not to mention the rest of you wonderful reviewers.

Also, check out **pudgypudge's** Naruto c2: Pudgypudge's Vault of Naruto Goodness

Now I know I don't deserve reviews, but if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my lateness, leave a review and I will know you understand.


	6. First Blood

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** MatrixExplosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 25,272

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** June 29, 2008

**Date Revised:** July 02, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Yo! Here's the latest installment of Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch.

Oh, and from now on, look at the top of my profile page to see the status of my stories and how much the next chapter is done; it's updated at least once every two days.

Here's Chapter 06…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 06 – First Blood**

"But I _know _we're ready Hokage-sama!"

The Sandaime pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, valiantly trying to ward off the upcoming headache. Why oh why did he have to deal with such genin, wasn't Naruto enough for one lifetime? He was the freaking _Hokage_, leader of the strongest village in the elemental countries. He should be out there protecting Konoha from dangerous enemies, not sitting behind a desk handing out D and C ranked missions to genin.

Mentally sighing in resignation, he looked back at the Inuzuka in front of his desk, "I'm sorry Kiba but it does not matter if you_ think_ you are ready, you will not receive a C-rank mission with one of your members missing. When Aburame Shino returns from dealing with internal clan affairs, you will be presented with a C-rank mission. Until such a time occurs, you will have to settle for a D-rank inside the village."

"Bu-" Kiba was again cut off, only this time is was by their sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai. Taking her hand away from the genin's mouth, she gave him a glare laced with a small amount of killing intent, mentally smirking as he shivered in surprise and quickly closed his mouth. While she may be just a rookie, she was still a jounin and her killing intent was nothing to laugh about. But over and above that, they were _her _students, and how they acted reflected her teaching abilities.

Turning back to the Hokage, Kurenai bowed lowly towards him, "I apologize for my student's actions Hokage-sama. I am certain Kiba did not mean any disrespect with his blatant disregard for authority." Turning towards the genin, she sent him another glare and watched as he gulped nervously before bowing.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama, I did not mean any disrespect." A few moments of nothing but shuffling feet and paper passed before the Sandaime chuckled warmly and took a puff of his pipe, breaking the tense silence, "Think nothing of it my boy, I'm sure I too would be rather peeved at performing nothing but D-ranked missions… But as before, you still cannot accept a C-rank mission unless you acquire a third teammate willing to go with you."

Both Kiba and Kurenai got up from their bow, the dog using genin threw an apologetic look towards their leader who only smiled in return. He was immensely relieved that the Sandaime had brushed off his insubordination so easily, having heard about other genin getting sent back to the Academy from his sister Hana.

A thought suddenly crossed the bestial genin's mind, causing him to grin wolfishly, "Um…Hokage-sama…couldn't you just assign a willing genin to go with us?" Off to the side, Kurenai blinked owlishly at the surprising amount of intellect her genin had just shown. Usually Kiba was all brawn and no brain, preferring to rush head on into situations and deal with them as he went. This just proved that he did in fact have a smart side to him, albeit one he rarely used.

It was at this moment that Team 7, lead by the famous -and in _most_ places infamous- Hatake Kakashi walked in.

Walking in behind his jounin sensei, Naruto saw Hinata standing beside her teammate and sensei and quickly walked towards her, "Hey Hinata…here for a mission?" He said, flashing her a small, happy, smile.

Hinata blushed, her cheeks tinting a light crimson as her heart started to beat a frantic rhythm in her chest. There it was again, the same smile he had shown her when they had hugged the day before, "H-Hai Naruto-kun, b-but we c-can't go on o-one since S-Shino-kun isn't h-here…"

"That must suck…well…I guess I'll see you later." Giving her one last smile, he was about to turn around and head back to his teammates to see what mission they got when a bark, followed by gruff voice caught his attention, "Hey Naruto…what's with the new clothes?"

Looking past Hinata and their jounin sensei, Kurenai if he remembered correctly from when the teams were first made, Naruto saw the feral looking boy with a confused expression on his face, his white dog perched on top of his head like usual. Thinking for a few moments on whether or not he should 

tell Kiba the truth, Naruto decided to just wing it and see what happened, "Well, I wanted to get some new clothing, and orange really isn't a good color for shinobi, so I got these."

Kiba just looked at him oddly for a few moments, silently thinking about the black clad boy. For as long as he had known the dobe, he had always worn that blindingly orange jumpsuit and then suddenly, he comes out of nowhere wearing a mixture of dark red and black. Oh well, the dead-last could wear whatever he wants to, he would never get stronger than him, "Hehe, I bet you're just trying to copy the Uchiha…"

Opening his mouth to retort, Naruto was stopped when the Hokage suddenly cleared his throat to get their attention, "Although I'm sure we're all interested in Naruto's new choice of clothing, we have other matters to discuss, namely, Kiba's proposal."

Both teams turned towards the Hokage and stood in a slightly rigid pose, not too tense, but not relaxed either. Seeing as he had their undivided attention the Sandaime continued, "Team 8 has requested a C-rank mission, but due to the fact that Aburame Shino is currently dealing with internal clan affairs, they cannot receive anything higher than a D-rank. To deal with this, Kiba has suggested that another genin be temporarily placed on their team for the duration of the C-rank mission."

Rummaging through the scrolls on his desk, the God of Shinobi quickly found an ordinary looking scroll and looked towards the one-eyed jounin, "Kakashi, I assume you know where I'm going with this?"

Kakashi simply nodded, his one eye once again regaining the lazy and aloof quality that he was famous for, "Hai Hokage-sama, I am willing to lend one of my genin to Kurenai-san's team for the duration of their C-rank mission. I personally recommend Sasuke, now that he has awakened the Sharingan. He will need all the practice he can get to evolve it further." He expertly ignored Sakura's relieved and Naruto's saddened expressions, Sasuke needed this more than them. Not only because he had to grow strong enough to defeat renegade Uchiha, but also because he owed it to Obito to help hi kinsmen.

Off to the side, Sasuke smirked haughtily, _'Finally, I get to stop wasting my time on these useless missions.'_ He knew he wouldn't get stronger by wasting time on the useless mission Kakashi called teamwork building exercises. He would finally get the chance to test himself against real enemies and be that much closer to defeating _him_.

He was broken from his thoughts of defeating Itachi as the Hokage spoke up again, "I'm sorry Kakashi but Naruto is more suited for this mission, not only because of his unique talents but also because of what will be required on the mission itself."

Sasuke looked almost appalled at the Sandaime's choice before anger flashed through his being and he grit his teeth in anger. How dare the dobe be chosen over him, the last loyal prodigy of the _Uchiha _Clan? He was stronger, he was faster, and he was smarter, an all around better ninja than the dobe, so _why_ would the Sandaime choose the dead-last over him.

Forcing his body to relax, he tried to show convince the Hokage of why he was the better choice, "Hokage-sama, if I may, I believe that I will be more valuable to Team 8 on this mission than Naruto." While his words were as neutral and soft as ever, his eyes held an incandescent fury that shone with the fires of a thousand suns, as if daring the old man to refuse him.

Beside him, Sakura voiced her own agreement, "I agree Hokage-sama, Sasuke-kun _is_ a better ninja than Naruto." On the inside though, she was immensely relieved that Kakashi hadn't chosen her to go on the C-rank mission with the other team. While she just _knew_ that Sasuke-kun and even Kakashi 

would protect her if she got into trouble on a mission outside of the village, who knew what would happen to her if he wasn't there. Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned back to the Hokage to see what he thought.

Sadly, for someone that was used to getting _everything_ he could ever want on a gold platter, being refused was something he didn't come across often, if ever, and the Hokage had no desire to fuel his delusions of superiority, "I'm sorry Sasuke but my decision stands, Naruto _will_ accompany Kurenai's team on a C-rank mission and you will continue on with your own team."

A few moments tense moments of absolute silence passed before Sasuke quickly turned around, and without another word, walked out of the Hokage's office. Kakashi just mentally shook his head at his genin's display of immaturity, resolving to have a talk with him about it later. Turning back towards the Hokage, the elite jounin bowed slightly, "If that is all Hokage-sama?"

Seeing nothing else that could need the attention of the dysfunctional team, the Sandaime dismissed them, "Yes, that is all, you are dismissed… Naruto, please stay for a few more moments."

Kakashi just looked at Naruto for a few moments before turning back towards the door and bidding Sakura to follow him. Quickly bowing towards the Hokage, she ran after her teacher and out the door. The Sandaime watched them go before turning back to the remaining team inside of his office, "Now that that's been taken care of, how about we get onto your mission."

While Kurenai herself didn't understand the Sandaime's choice, after all, Sasuke _was_ an all around better shinobi than Naruto; she had no reason to refuse his help either.

Walking forward and taking the scroll from the edge of the mahogany desk, Kurenai quickly unfurled it with practiced ease and skimmed it over, only to almost drop it in shock a few moments later as she read the details. Quickly rolling it up, she turned her wide eyes towards the legendary shinobi in front of her, "A-Are you certain Hokage-sama… I mean, I know we are ready, but..." Kurenai silently trailed off; still trying to comprehend the mission they had been given.

She would be the first one to say that her team was definitely ready for a C-rank mission outside of the village, but even this was a bit much. Although on the other hand, she now understood _why_ the Sandaime had chosen Naruto over Sasuke to be a part of her team…at least somewhat, if what she had heard of Naruto's unbelievable chakra capacity were even remotely true, that he would be a valuable asset on this mission.

The Sandaime just nodded in return, "Yes, I believe that with Naruto available to you, your team is more than ready." The blonde genin just smiled in return, at least someone believed in him and his ninja abilities. Turning towards the red-eyed beauty, Naruto made to reassure her, "Don't worry Kurenai-sensei, I won't let you down, you can count on that." Finishing off with his patented fox grin that mysteriously sent a warm feeling throughout her body, Naruto turned back towards the Hokage.

Kurenai looked at the enigmatic blonde genin for a few moments before smiling warmly. He was a far cry from what she had heard of from the villagers of Konoha but then again, she should have known better than to take the words of those narrow-minded fools seriously. The boy beside her was a bundle of optimism and energy, even after what he had been through at the hands of the villagers for most of his life.

"We accept Hokage-sama." Bowing towards the wizened shinobi, Kurenai turned around and walked towards the exit, her three students following her example before walking out the door after her. Once they were outside of the tower, Kurenai quickly jumped to the rooftops of Konoha and without another word sprinted towards the eastern gates.

Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba looked at each other before jumping up after her. Both Kiba and Hinata stayed in the back, exchanging worried glances every once in awhile. While Naruto may not have known Kurenai all that well, this was the first time they had seen their sensei act like this, and it was…_unsettling___to see someone you looked up to act in such a way.

Kurenai, on the other hand had a maelstrom of thoughts running through her head, her knuckles turning white as she unconsciously gripped the mission scroll even harder, _'What…what if I'm not strong enough to protect them…? I've had missions like this but what if they get hurt…or worse…? I knew I should have never accepted this mission, they aren't ready yet…'_

Still absorbed in her thoughts about the upcoming mission, she quickly jumped down from the rooftops and onto the streets below in front of the main gate. Walking forwards, she gave the scroll to the chuunin guards who quickly checked it over and handed it back to her. A nod later, and she was back on her feet, blasting through the forest surrounding Konoha, that is, until she remembered the three genin that were with her, _'Shit, I forgot all about them… Nice going Kurenai, forget about the very people you're supposed to protect.'_

Quickly stopping, she turned around just in time to see Naruto fly through the branches of a tree before skidding to a stop in front of her, not even the slightest bit out of breath, shortly followed by a panting Kiba and a winded Hinata. Taking a few moments to marvel at the yellow haired genin's stamina because there was absolutely no way a _genin_ should have been able to keep up with her at that speed and not be the least bit tired, she faced all three of her genin and grinned sheepishly, "Hehe, sorry, I guess I got a little carried away…" Laughing nervously at the glare Kiba shot her, she quickly jumped down onto the dirt road below and unfurled their mission scroll as her genin gathered around her.

"Sorry about that guys, but I was thinking about the mission and how we should go about doing it." Receiving nods of understanding from all three of them and a quiet, "I-It's o-okay …" from Hinata, she quickly turned back to the map laid down below her and pointed to a small spot near the edge of the Fire Country border, "Alright, this is a map of the area that we are going to, a small port city due east of Otafuku Gai. It seems that the city has been run over by mercenaries that have taken to terrorizing and looting the villagers. Although the city itself does have a police force, there are too many mercenaries for them to handle alone, that is why they requested a shinobi team."

Looking up at the three genin, Kurenai was happy to see that all three were easily following along, now it was time for the hard part. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she began to outline their mission, "Now, once we reach the city, which shouldn't take more than four days, we have to find the main encampment of the mercenaries and…destroy it."

The red-eyed genjutsu mistress winced in sympathy as she heard Hinata gasp. Looking up, she noticed that the Hyuuga heiress had turned a sickly shade of green and even Kiba looked nervous, his entire body as tense as a coiled snake. Surprisingly, Naruto seemed almost normal, the only thing changed about him being a slight widening of his strangely misty eyes.

Having finally regained her voice, Hinata voiced the question that was no doubt on everyone's mind, "D-Destroy it K-Kurenai-sensei…b-but w-why?" The girl seemed to be scared out of her mind at the thought of taking another human's life, and Kurenai couldn't blame her. These kinds of missions were always the worst, not because of how hard they were, but because of the amount of death and destruction you were exposed to. The people they were up against were nothing but mercenaries, sure, they could bully around normal people, but against shinobi they were nothing, even if the shinobi _were_ only genin.

Sighing deeply once more, she gave Hinata a sympathetic smile. No matter how much she didn't want to do this, she had to show them that being a shinobi or kunoichi wasn't all fun and games, you had to take lives for the sake of the mission and your village, and sometimes, even give it up, "I'm sorry Hinata but that's what we are going to be paid for, and that's what we have to do." Hinata just nodded in response, still trying to understand the fact that she would have to _kill_ on this mission.

Looking back at the three genin, she quickly schooled her features and gave each of them a hard stare before she began. She had to make that they understood the seriousness of what she was about to say next, "Now, the scroll says that there are about seventy-five to one hundred mercenaries in the city, not all that much for one jounin and three genin. I know you three haven't kille-" She was abruptly broken from her briefing when the newest edition of her team spoke up, his voice overflowing with sadness and regret.

Naruto looked up from the map at his new sensei, unshed tears sparkling in his innocent blue eyes before he spoke, "I've killed before Kurenai-sensei…" Kurenai just gaped for a moment before regaining her senses. Unbelievable, to think that a _genin _had killed so soon after just graduating from the Academy…her first kill hadn't been until she had reached the rank of chuunin and she had been on a joint B-ranked mission with a team of three jounin and two genin.

Now she understood why the Hokage had chosen Naruto over Sasuke. Originally, she had thought he had been chosen only because of his unnatural talent for the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)**, a jutsu she herself could barely use. With how Naruto used them, it would be that much easier to accomplish this mission, but that was only half of it.

While Sasuke was definitely a better ninja, or at least, she thought he was, Naruto had already been introduced to the guilt of taking another human life, the absolutely revolting feeling you got as you felt, more than saw, the life of another ninja _just_ like you slip away, and you can't help but think that that could be you someday, lying on the ground and bleeding to death, and for what, the sake of your village that would forget you as easily and as soon as one would forget a bad dream?

She was broken from her morbid thoughts as Kiba spoke up, his voice slightly shaken, "Y-You've _killed _before? When…_how_…?" Kiba seemed to be almost disgusted with the fact that Naruto had killed before, but she also noted that there was just the _slightest_ bit of awe and jealousy in his voice. Maybe he thought that since Naruto had killed before him, it made the blonde genin a better shinobi. After all, being from the Inuzuka Clan, Kiba had a very pack-like mentality, and as heir of the Clan, he had been raised to be the 'alpha-male', the strongest of them all. Learning that somebody you considered inferior to yourself had already killed before you must have been quite the blow to both his pride and ego.

Naruto smiled slightly as he remembered the boy he had killed; a small, sad grin that a person only uses when they were trying to hold back their tears. Taking a moment to steady his nerves, the blonde jinchuuriki began recounting his mission, "On my last mission with my Team, we were supposed to protect a bridge builder called Tazuna until he got back to his village, but he lied about the mission rank. It turned out that instead of a C-rank, it was actually an A-rank."

This only surprised the three original members of Team 8 more. A genin team, even being led by the legendary Hatake Kakashi would have never been allowed to go on anything higher than a low B-rank, to think that the supposed dobe of his class had not only been on an A-rank, but also completed it successfully. The three were broken out of their separate thoughts as Naruto continued.

"Along the way, we were ambushed by a missing nin called Momochi Zabuza. Kakashi-sensei almost killed him, but he was saved by a fake hunter-nin. After that, we trained for a week until we met Zabuza and his apprentice, Haku again…and that's where I killed him…"

Naruto lowered his head, not wanting the others to see his tears. Even after all this time, he still couldn't believe that he had killed Haku, probably the only one who understood what it truly meant to be all alone in the world, to not be wanted by _anyone_ just because of something you were born with and had no control over. Stifling a bitter laugh, Naruto let his tears fall freely…Haku had suffered the same hell as him, they could have been the best of friends and all he could give him in return was death.

Hearing a small gasp, Naruto looked to the side, only to see Hinata with her hands covering her mouth and a look of horror on her face, _'Hehe, I guess she thinks I'm a monster too, just like Sakura-chan…'_ Turning to look towards the other two, he saw that Kiba was looking at him with a strange mixture of respect and envy, and even Kurenai had a look of understanding on her face. Wiping his tears with the palm of his hand, Naruto forced a cheerful grin on his face and turned towards the genjutsu mistress, "Hehe, sorry Kurenai-sensei… I guess I got a little carried away…"

"It's okay Naruto-kun…it's better to get these things off of your chest and share them with someone else rather than keeping it all bottled up inside…" With that, Kurenai turned back to the map on the ground, continuing the mission briefing, but what she failed to notice was that Hinata was still looking at Naruto, but now she had an almost sad expression on her face.

'_Oh Naruto-kun…y-you've had t-to g-go through s-so much…I only w-wish I h-had your s-strength…' _Hinata thought, her heart breaking at the sight of Naruto's tears. He had been through_ so much _already for reasons she still didn't understand, and she wished that she was strong enough to comfort him in his time of need, but she just couldn't. Turning back to her sensei, the Hyuuga heiress resolved to talk to Naruto when they reached Otafuku Gai.

"As I was saying before, both Kiba and Hinata have never killed before, but I cannot stress this enough…" Kurenai paused; fixing her team with a hard and level stare to make sure they understood the seriousness of the situation, "…whenever you engage in a fight…do not hesitate to deal a killing blow…"

Kiba gulped loudly before nodding, while Hinata just nodded meekly. Both had already come to terms with the fact that they would have to kill on this mission, at least somewhat. Naruto, who had already taken a life before, just nodded solemnly, he knew what he had to do and why the Sandaime had picked him over Sasuke. With his **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone),** he could make limitless and disposable copies of himself and take out that many more mercenaries. After all, killing was being what a ninja was all about, and that was what they excelled at.

Kurenai looked at all three of them, seeing that they understood what they had to do, "We're dealing with mercenaries here, the lowest of the low, and they will _not_ hesitate to kill you even if you are only children, and you shouldn't hesitate either. I know it may seem cold and ruthless, but this is the way the ninja world is."

Standing up, Kurenai rolled up the scroll and jumped back onto the trees, her genin following closely behind, "We have a week and three days to complete this mission, so I want to make it to Otafuku Gai by sundown…now let's move out." Smiling slightly at the determined faces, she turned around and leapt forward, taking off towards Otafuku Gai. They had to make it to the town before sundown so they could get a chance to resupply if they needed to and take a break before heading off to Port City the next day.

Idly looking back at the three children to see if they were keeping up, Kurenai smiled sadly, _'They won't be children for long, not after what they're going to go through in the next few days…' _Decided to leave one more piece of advice to the three shinobi behind her, Kurenai spoke up, "Be true Konoha 

nin and remember to work together, no matter what. Don't hesitate to ask for help from one another because your foolish pride got in the way, remember, dead men have no pride."

All three genin simply nodded, taking the words that would probably save their lives to heart.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Nine Hours Later…_

Stars twinkled merrily in the sky as one jounin and three genin walked in through the gates of Otafuku Gai nine hours later, the sun having set long ago.

Pausing in front of a modest hotel, Kurenai turned towards her team, "Well, I guess we'll have to wait until the morning to get more supplies and head out to Port City. We can rent two rooms, one for Naruto and Kiba, and one for me and Hinata."

While Kiba and Hinata agreed quietly, too tired from their nine hour run, Naruto looked back to the city surrounding him, a brief look of awe passing over his face from what he saw. Everything looked so different from Konoha; people were still roaming the streets and colourful lights shone at every corner, luring the night crowd like moths to a streetlamp. It looked almost exactly like the festivals he usually saw from his apartment window that came around once every year in Konoha, having never really gone to one itself.

"Um…Kurenai-sensei, couldn't we just look around for a few minutes…?" Naruto asked hopefully, he wasn't really all that tired from the journey to the city and this was only the second time he had been out of Konoha, he _really_ wanted to explore the town. His first time out for his mission to Wave country hadn't been all that great, that place had been filled with other people just like him, orphans begging for scraps on the streets and entire families barely making it through the day. The pure and unbridled joy he had seen on their faces after the bridge had been completed still sent uncontrolled joy through his heart till this day.

Kurenai looked at the blonde for a moment before shaking her head sadly, "Sorry Naruto, it's already too late, but don't worry, you'll get enough time to check out the city when you're getting supplies tomorrow. Now, let's head inside and get to bed."

The red-eyed jounin watched with amusement as Naruto nodded sadly, letting out a small giggle when he started pouted like a small child. Even though he may have changed his clothing, Naruto was still Naruto, no matter how he looked. But looking at his innocent and childlike visage, Kurenai frowned slighter her thoughts turned to how the villagers and quite a few shinobi treated him back in Konoha. Spending the day with Naruto had just reaffirmed her thoughts of the villagers being nothing but hypocritical jerks who had condemned a child to a life of misery and torment because of their unfound fears. _Nobody_ that was as innocent -which was quite the feat considering their profession-, optimistic, and energetic as Naruto could possibly be a demon in her eyes.

Her crimson red eyes widened as she suddenly had a thought as to _why_ Naruto would want to explore the town so badly. For him, getting out of Konoha and away from the villagers was one of the few times he could get away from the constant hatred that followed him everywhere he went. While in Konoha, he was overshadowed by the darkness of the Kyuubi, out here, he could act like a normal, twelve year old boy that didn't have to constantly worry about watching his back, or at least as normal as a twelve year old ninja could be.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kurenai walked into the hotel and quickly got the rooms for her team, resolving to let Naruto spend as much time as they could afford to in Otafuku Gai so he could experience at least some form of normalcy.

A quick trip up a flight of stairs and the temporary team was in front of their rooms, Kiba and Naruto taking the room on the left and Kurenai and Hinata taking the one on the right. Looking to his left as Kiba walked into his room, Naruto smiled slightly at the two females on his team as he bid them good night, "Good night Kurenai-sensei, Hinata…"

Returning his smile, accompanied with a blush in Hinata's case, both of them bid him a good night in return, but just as they were about to walk into their room, they were once again interrupted as the blonde genin called out to them again. Looking towards him, they were surprised to find him looking down at the floor in a slightly abashed manner.

Naruto looked, up, embarrassedly scratching the back of his head, "Um…Hinata…I was wondering… could you help me get some supplies tomorrow…? I haven't really gotten them for myself before, oji-san always used to help me in back in Konoha…" Laughing sheepishly in the end, Naruto hesitantly waited for her answer. This was the first time he had actually willingly asked for help from somebody, having learnt early on in his life that _nobody_ in their right mind would ever want to help him. As a result, he had learnt to look out for himself and only himself, never needing to ask for help that other people might take as weakness on his part.

Hinata blushed, bringing her hands in front of her chest and pushing her index fingers together as she thought of what Naruto had just asked her, _'D-Did Naruto-k-kun j-just ask m-me for h-help…'_ In all her years that she had known the unknown jinchuuriki, he had _never_ asked anybody for any help, not even at the Academy when he obviously needed it. The fact that Naruto had asked _her_ for help, the weak, little, Hyuuga girl, instead of Kurenai-sensei or Kiba, both who she thought would be able to help him better than her meant that he _trusted_ her enough to be able to help him.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she quickly scrounged up her courage and nodded slightly, "I-I'd love t-to N-Naruto-kun…" This was one of her few chances to be able to help Naruto and spend time with him again, she would _not_ screw it up by letting her shyness get in the way.

"Great! I'll see you here tomorrow morning at eight! Night Hinata…Kurenai-sensei…" Leaving one last dazzling smile for the Hyuuga heiress, Naruto quickly walked into his room and shut the door behind him. He couldn't believe that Hinata had actually agreed to help him. She was now one of the three people in Konoha that helped him whenever they could with whatever he needed help in, the other two being the Ichiraku family and his new sensei, the toad hermit Jiraiya.

Back outside in the hallway, Kurenai jumped in surprise as her student hit the floor, her last thoughts being, _'I get to go out with Naruto-kun…'_

Naruto looked around the room, a small sound of surprise leaving his mouth. Even though he knew this was one of the average hotels in the city, it was still better than his apartment back in Konoha.

Walking up to his bed, Naruto looked at the right and saw that Kiba was already asleep, snoring slightly with Akamaru nestled in the blankets beside him. Walking up to the diminutive pup, Naruto softly scratched the back of his ear, grinning warmly as his leg started to softly twitch back and forth. While he didn't really like dogs that much for some reason that he _still_ couldn't figure out till this day, he had always held a soft spot for Akamaru in his heart.

Smiling happily, Naruto made his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed as he remembered the reason _why_. Simply put, Akamaru was one of the first 'people' in Konoha to actually play with him when he was a kid.

He had been sitting alone in a park, having nothing else to do with his time when he had seen the small, little pup wandering the grounds, sniffing every little thing that it could find. Curious as to who's it was, Naruto had approached the small dog that had noticed him by then and was looking up at him curiously. One thing led to another, and pretty soon, both Akamaru and him were chasing each other around the park, having the time on their lives. It was one of the happiest days of his childhood with only a few handful others being more special to him.

Sadly, it had ended all too soon for him when a boy with strange, red markings on his cheeks and an older woman with the same markings had come and taken the dog away. It was a year later on his first day to the Academy that he had learnt who the dog and its owner was.

Walking out of the bathroom, Naruto idly threw off his shirt and crawled under the blankets on his bed. It was warmer in Otafuku Gai than it had been in Konoha, and he really didn't feel like keeping his shirt on in such stifling weather. Yawning slightly, Naruto smiled as he remembered his 'date' with Hinata in the morning, he still couldn't believe that she had agreed to help him. He had always known that Hinata was a nice girl; she was one of the only people that didn't make fun of him in the Academy and she was always nice to him whenever they met…although he still didn't know _why_ she turned red every time she saw him.

With his last thoughts of the lavender-eyed Hyuuga heiress, Naruto fell asleep with a smile on his face.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hinata stood in front of the door to Naruto's room, nervously clutching the bottom hem of her beige jacket as she looked down at the floor. Deciding that she didn't want to miss her day with Naruto, Hinata had arrived an hour early after saying good-bye to Kurenai-sensei, just to be on the safe side. But now, close to an hour later, Naruto still hadn't shown up.

Raising her eyes from the floor, the Hyuuga heiress nervously bit her bottom lip as she looked at the door in front of her, hesitantly raising her hand before putting it back down and slightly shaking her head. Naruto had told her that he would meet her outside, and she would wait for him. After all, it wasn't like Naruto to break his word.

But as the seconds ticked by and the blond jinchuuriki still hadn't shown up, Hinata grew more and more nervous. What if he didn't want to go with her, what if he had already left with Kiba because he would be able to help him better, _'I k-knew it, w-why w-would Naruto-k-kun w-want my h-help…' _Turning around slowly, resignation and grief shown in her pearl like eyes as Hinata slowly walked back to her own door, knowing that Naruto would never want the help of someone that was as weak as her.

She was stopped however, as the sound of creaking hinges snaked through the air, followed by a loud and boisterous voice she had come to love, "Hey Hinata! You're already here? I thought you'd take longer…" Whipping around in place, Hinata looked at the black clad boy, minus the crimson jacket as he stood in the doorway, "N-Naruto-kun…I-I didn't w-want t-to be l-late and K-Kurenai-sensei s-said we have t-to be b-back b-by four…"

Naruto just snorted, gaining a surprised look from the kunoichi in front on him, "With Kakashi-sensei as our sensei, I wouldn't care if you were an hour late and down worry, we'll be back in time." Naruto watched Hinata just nodded slightly in return, a confused expression on her face. While she didn't 

know who Kakashi was other than the fact that he was Naruto's sensei or anything about his habits, she'd just have to take his word for it.

Naruto blinked, noticing the confused but absolutely adorable expression on her face before he quickly shook it out of his mind, they still needed to resupply for the rest of the mission, and he still wanted to check out the city before they had to leave, "Ready to go?" At Hinata's nod, he turned around and locked the door behind him before walking down the hallway, motioning for the pale-eyed Hyuuga to follow him.

After a few moments of walking, both genin had reached the end of the hallway and quickly climbed down the flight of stairs, making their way out to the streets of the city in silence.

Naruto gasped softly, a mischievous grin that brought his eyes to life and made them sparkle like the sky itself on his face as he weaved through the streets in a leisurely gait. He felt…light, if he had to describe it in words. He could just be himself without having to worry about every single person judging him for how he acted. Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto went back to looking at the city around him.

Although it didn't look as beautiful as it did at night last night, it was still a far cry from what he was used to looking at in Konoha from his apartment window. Every where he could see, people looked at him and Hinata with smiles on their faces, not the least bit of hatred and fear visible in their eyes. There were even some couples that whispered quietly to each other after they saw him and Hinata together before smiling happily at them, although he had no idea why. He seemed to be quite a lot of those looks from almost every couple that they came across.

Hinata on the other hand, was way too busy with her thoughts of the boy next to her to notice how other people were looking at them. She had been walking in silence for the past few minutes alone with the boy of her dreams, and she couldn't even bring herself to talk to him. Looking to the side, Hinata smiled sadly at how happy he looked to be outside of Konoha and away from the villagers, _'N-Naruto-kun d-doesn't deserve t-the hatred h-he gets in K-Konoha…'_ She remembered how excited he had been when they had first arrived in Otafuku Gai, all because the people here looked at him differently than how they did in Konoha.

Frowning as she thought of the villager's treatment of Naruto back in Konoha, Hinata tried to think of any reason as to why he was hated by them but she was broken from her musings as the blonde genin next to her spoke up, "Hey Hinata, you okay?" Naruto asked softly. He had turned to look at Hinata, surprised that she was being so quiet when he saw the thoughtful yet at the same time sad look on her face, a look he had seen in the mirror all too many times himself.

Looking towards the yellow haired genin, Hinata was surprised to see the concern reflecting in his sapphire orbs, even though he didn't seem to be aware of it himself, "I-I'm fine N-Naruto-kun, I-I w-was j-just thinking a-about t-things…" Hinata said quietly as she looked back down, a small blush coating her cheeks a healthy pink. Damn it, she still couldn't talk to Naruto without stuttering like a fool.

Frowning a little in thought, Naruto tried to think so something he could do to get Hinata to cheer up. When he was a kid, he honestly believed that it was his _duty _to the village to let them hate him, to let them despise him so no one else had to go through what he did on a regular basis. Naruto believed that by being the outlet of their anger, they would be nice to everyone around him so nobody else would have to be sad. Sadly, now that he knew the reason_ why _they hated him, it made bearing the glares and hatred all the more harder, but he would never give up.

But because he had once thought that it was his job to be sad for the sake of others, he hated to see anyone sad in any way, shape, or form, especially when it was a girl, and particularly when he could do something about it. Someone that was as nice and polite as Hinata should never have to be sad, no matter what; he would make sure of it. It was even worse when they were crying and he couldn't do anything about it, it made it seem like it was his fault they were sad in the first place.

Thinking for a few more moments, Naruto smiled brightly as he thought of something they could do together to cheer her up, "Hey Hinata, how about we go get something to eat first?" At her curious nod, Naruto quickly grabbed her hand without thinking and started running through the streets of Otafuku Gai, letting his nose guide him to the nearest restaurant.

Blushing a deep crimson at the feeling of his larger hand around hers, Hinata smiled brightly and held on tighter, memorizing the feeling of his deceptively soft skin against hers. She allowed herself to be led by the boy of her dreams as he easily weaved through the crowded streets of the city.

Sadly, it was over all too soon for the lavender-eyed princess as Naruto skid to a stop in front of a pretty lavish restaurant. Looking at the restaurant in front of her, Hinata could easily tell that it was one of the better ones in the city. Letting go of her hand, the blonde turned around and looked at the still blushing Hinata, grinning sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head in typical Naruto fashion, "Hehe, sorry about that Hinata, I guess I got a little excited."

"I-It's okay N-Naruto-kun." Despite herself, Hinata found herself smiling back as her blush began to die down. No matter where they were, Naruto could always make her smile with his optimism and energy. Walking into the restaurant, they were both approached by the smiling maitre d', "Good evening Sir…" The man said with a smile on his face, "I presume you would like a table for you and the lovely lady?"

Slightly surprised at being treated in such a way, Naruto just nodded his head in acceptance as Hinata fidgeted nervously by his side, "Yeah, sure… that'll do."

'_Well, that was weird…' _Naruto thought as he and Hinata followed the man as he grabbed two menus and led them through the restaurant. He had _never_ been treated that respectfully in Konoha by anyone that didn't know him personally. The one time he had tried to get into a restaurant other than Ichiraku Ramen, he had been bodily thrown out before the owner had threatened to call the ANBU on him if he ever showed his face there again. Predictably, Naruto never showed his face near that restaurant, or any other restaurant for that matter, in Konoha.

Looking around the eatery, Naruto let his eyes roam to the sight of a fidgeting Hinata as he wordlessly followed the man to their table.

Hinata meanwhile, gulped nervously as she and Naruto-kun were led down the restaurant and to their tables, fidgeting anxiously with the hem of her bulky jacket. Looking around at the various other patrons of the eatery and then at her own state of dress, the Hyuuga heiress lowered her head in embarrassment. _Everybody_ that surrounded her and Naruto-kun was dressed up to look good, even Naruto-kun looked handsome in a dark, foreboding way in his black clothing with that strange crimson red spiral on his back, but all she had on was a pair of dark blue ninja pants and her large, stuffy jacket.

Soon after, both Naruto and Hinata were seated at a modest sized table, and the happy jinchuuriki took the time to look at his surroundings. They were seated in a secluded little corner, for which Hinata was grateful for, on a modest sized, solid wood table, away from most of the other customers. Since they were in a corner, their table was surrounded by leather booth seating almost all the way 

around that could easily accommodate five people with room to spare, not to mention that they were incredibly comfortable.

The lighting was dim, just enough to allow the customers the ability to easily see their food, but low enough to set a calming and serene mood. Sadly, there didn't seem to be any windows near their table. He was broken from his thoughts as the maitre d' spoke up from their side while he put the menus down in front of the two, "May I start you with something to drink?"

Still not used to being treated in such a way, Naruto just asked for the first thing that came to mind, "Um, just some tea for now, thank you…" Nodding in acceptance, the man turned towards Hinata, "And for you my lady?"

"S-Some g-green tea p-please…" Hinata answered after a few moments of consideration. Quirking an eyebrow at the girl's strange stuttering but putting it up to being a ninja quirk, the waiter just wrote down the orders and left, presumably to get their drinks before he came back to see what they wanted to eat.

Seeing nothing better to do, Naruto looked towards the girl that was sitting in front of him who still fidgeting nervously. A confused expression flashed across Naruto's face that went unseen by the Hyuuga heiress as he tried to think of any reason as to why she would be acting like this…then it hit him, like one of Sasuke-teme's a full powered katon jutsu.

Hinata was _afraid_ of him, why else would she act so nervous whenever she was around him? It must be because he had told her that he had killed before, and now she thought that he was a monster, just like Sakura did and still probably does when she had first found out. Sighing sadly, but mostly in resignation, Naruto looked down at the table with a defeated expression on his face. Even though he knew it shouldn't hurt, it still did, especially because this was Hinata, one of the nicest people he knew and his newest friend. After all, he should have expected this, nobody would want to be the friend of a demon, but no matter how much he knew that she had all the to hate him and be afraid of him, it still didn't make the pain in his heart go away.

Wrenching his eyes away from the top of the wooden table, Naruto forced himself to look at the kunoichi in front of him. If she was afraid of him, he wouldn't be selfish and make her stay, because he knew that Hinata was too nice to say no to anybody. So taking a deep breath to steady his voice, he called out to her, "Hinata…"

Hinata looked up, surprised that Naruto had talked to her before she looked at him questioningly. Waiting for an answer, she watched as he took another deep breath before he asked her a question in the most heart wrenching tone she had ever heard from the blonde haired genin. Even when he had hugged her that day near the cliff wasn't as heart breaking as this, "D-Do you…do you hate me Hinata…" Naruto asked, his hair covering his eyes as he looked back down. He didn't want to see the fear and hatred flash through the eyes of one of his first and true friends as he heard her gasp.

Hinata, on the other hand, gasped softly as she looked towards the boy in front of her with something akin to horror. How could he even _ask_ her that? As if she could ever hate the boy that gave her the courage and determination to endure the hatred and loathing that she received from her very own clan, her family. Her cousin Neji, the prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan, apparently hated her just because she was a part of the Main House, and her very own father loathed her very existence because of how weak and gentle she was, the exact opposite of what the heir to the most powerful clan in Konoha should be.

The only one that actually treated her with at least some amount of respect and kinship was her younger sister Hanabi, and even then that was only when they were away from father. Waiting for a 

few moments to see if he was joking or not, Hinata realized that this wasn't one of his infamous pranks that he was actually serious.

Looking at the downcast boy in front of her, Hinata spoke up in a quiet voice, even for her, "W-Why would I h-hate you Naruto-k-kun…?" She idly noticed that her stutter for some strange reason had mostly disappeared.

Naruto looked up, slightly surprised at the question as he stared into her confused eyes, "I…" he stopped, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves before beginning again, "Y-You know that I've killed already, how _couldn't_ you hate me? I'm nothing but a monster, even Sakura thinks so…" The end was punctuated with a resigned tone, as if he was used to being called a monster.

Hinata gasped again, only this time in pity. To think that his own teammate, the girl he would give _anything _for would call someone as nice and as caring as Naruto a monster for something he was _supposed_ to do. She would have _loved _to be on Naruto-kun's team instead of that pink haired harpy, to be the one that he spent his time chasing after, and even after all that he did and would do for her, she repays him like that, by calling him the one thing that he had hoped his teammates didn't think of him as.

If it had been that spoiled Uchiha instead of Naruto that had killed the ninja, Sakura would have been all over him, gushing about his supposed greatness and how great a ninja he was. Narrowing her eyes into a glare, Hinata silently promised herself to teach that pampered princess a lesson she wouldn't forget the next time they met, nobody hurt Naruto-kun like that and deserved to get away with it. But back to the problem at hand, she had to convince Naruto-kun that she did _not_ hate him, and never would, no matter what he did.

"I-I could never h-hate you Naruto-kun, n-no matter w-what you d-did. F-From what y-you told me, Kiba-kun, and K-Kurenai-sensei, you k-killed that boy to p-protect Sasuke-s-san…I _k-know_ you r-regretted it…and Sakura-san i-is wrong, y-you aren't a m-monster…you a-are Naruto-kun, a b-brave a-and kind n-ninja that never g-gives up, n-no matter w-what… How c-could I ever h-hate s-someone like you…" Hinata said, determination shining in her lavender eyes, as if daring the world to prove her wrong.

Naruto could only look at the adorable kunoichi with unrestrained awe, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he looked into her own determined orbs. Without thinking, Naruto moved towards the lavender-eyed heiress in the blink of an eye, wrapping up her gentle form in a tender and unexpected hug.

Hinata froze, surprised as his strong arms encircled her petite figure, his intoxicating scent of wild trees and ramen wafting into her little nose before she smiled warmly, slowly wrapping her own arms around his slightly shuddering form.

"N-No one has ever said that to me Hinata-chan…ever…" Naruto said, sniffling slightly, and the lavender eyed angel was surprised to find her jacket getting wet. Looking slightly to the side, Hinata saw thatthe blonde haired genin was actually crying. Hinata had _never _in all the time that she had known himseen the usually happy and determined boy cry in front of anyone…or for any reason as a matter of fact.

They stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying the others presence in the tranquil silence of the restaurant.

Naruto smiled into the kunoichi's shoulder, quiet tears silently leaving salty trails down his cheeks. This was one of the few times that he had received comfort in the form of physical contact, a chance 

he rarely, if ever, had the pleasure of experiencing. Hinata, on the other hand, didn't pull away because this was the second time she was hugging the boy if her dreams, the one she longed for to hold her, to assure her that everything would be okay because he was here on those dreary days and sleepless nights that she spent in the cold, emotionless prison called the Hyuuga Compound.

They were both however, interrupted from their blissful experience as a loud cough interrupted them. Still keeping his arms around Hinata, Naruto looked up to the left, only to meet the amused eyes of a waiter looking back at him, mischievous mirth dancing across his face.

Naruto looked back at Hinata, staring into her pale, lavender eyes as they both blinked as if in slow motion, then blinked again…then, faster than the eye could track, Naruto seemed to vanish from the heiress's embrace, only to reappear back in his seat, a crimson blush coating his whiskered cheeks as he glared at the grinning man standing off to the side.

Hinata blinked at the sudden disappearance before her brain finally registered what had happened, letting out a tiny squeak of surprise and blushing a shade of crimson clearly resembling the Kyuubi's yokai.

The clearly amused waiter walked up to their table with a smile, a tray of drinks in his hand, "I am Daichi, your waiter for this morning and as sorry as I am to interrupt your…bonding, I thought you might like to know that your drinks are here." Putting the drinks on the table and pouring a cup of green tea for Hinata, Daichi took out a pad of paper and turned towards Naruto, "And have you decided on your orders?"

Glaring one final time at the still amused man, partly because he saw them and partly because he interrupted his hug with Hinata, Naruto threw open the menu and quickly searched through the main courses, deciding to choose something other than ramen for a change, "Um…I'll have the tonkatsu…" Writing the order down, the waiter turned towards the lavender haired Hyuuga who was staring at the blue eyed boy in slight surprise, expectantly waiting for her order.

Flipping open the menu, Hinata looked down at the various dishes, mentally making a disgusted face as her cute little nose scrunched up in disgust as she came upon fried eel and crabs. She didn't know why her sister Hanabi absolutely loved eel's so much, she had always hated the taste, not to mention how it looked like even after they had been cooked. Taking a few seconds longer than Naruto, Hinata finally chose to go with the teriyaki chicken.

Writing down the order and taking the two menus back from the genin, the waiter walked away in a measured gait, leaving the two in an uncomfortable stillness. After a few more minutes passed in silence, Naruto hesitantly looked up at Hinata, seeing her looking down at her folded hands with a light pink and adorably cute hue to her porcelain cheeks.

Gulping once in nervousness, the jinchuuriki quietly cleared his throat, causing Hinata to raise her eyes from the table and look up at him, "Hehe, sorry about the Hinata… I don't know what came over me…" Naruto said sheepishly, idly scratching the back of his head. He really didn't know what had come over him to make him hug the kunoichi, but he just couldn't resist it. What she had said to him, what she had made him _feel_…nobody else had ever said anything even remotely similar to what she thought of him, not even Ayame and he just couldn't help himself from wrapping his arms around her, as if letting her go would make her and her kind words disappear from his world, _'And to think I actually thought she hated me…'_

Hinata blushed all the more at the recent memory of his strong arms wrapped around her frame, gently pushing her into his chest, at least before they were interrupted by that waiter, "I-It's o-okay 

Naruto-k-kun, I d-don't m-mind…" Hinata said, pushing her fingers together in typical Hinata fashion at what she had just admitted.

The blonde demon vessel just smiled sheepishly in return before another thought crossed his mind, causing his smile to slip as he lowered his hand from the back of his head. Although he knew now that Hinata did in fact _not_ hate him, why was she acting so strangely before, fidgeting as if she wanted to get away from him?

Taking a closer look at the girl that was now looking around at the restaurant, Naruto realized that she had stopped acting so weird, but that still didn't explain why she was like that before, "Hey Hinata…" Naruto said, making the Hyuuga heiress turn back to him before he continued, "…not to be nosy or anything, but if you aren't scared of me and you don't hate me, why were you acting so strange when we first came into the restaurant?" Finished with his question, Naruto returned to staring at the now nervous kunoichi.

Hinata meanwhile, was sweating bullets, her pale lavender eyes darting back and forth nervously as she tried to think of something, _anything_ she could say to change the topic. She didn't want to tell him that was acting so strange because of how underdressed she was compared to the rest of the people in the restaurant. What if he realized that she was right and left her, not wanting to be seen with such an eyesore in front of people that actually looked at him with something other than hatred and fear?

Seeing no way out of it, the Hinata just lowered her head and spoke up in a soft and meek voice, barely audible to even Naruto's unnatural ears. But it also painfully reminded him of a time when _he _used to sound like that, a time before he had found that one person who had pulled him out of the rut known as his life, "I-I'm not d-dressed up like y-you and t-the rest o-f t-the people h-here… I'm n-not p-pretty e-enough to b-be w-with you…"

She expected him to get up and leave, to realize that she was right and that he _did_ deserve someone better than a shy girl as plain as her, what she _didn't _expect though, was for him to burst out laughing. Looking up in surprise but also with no small amount of hope, Hinata watched as Naruto slowly quieted down before looking back at her, "_That's_ why you were acting so strangely?" Naruto asked in a disbelieving tone, not really believing the shy little girl.

At Hinata's hesitant nod, Naruto quickly gained a more serious demeanor. He had thought that she was joking at first, but he knew that Hinata wasn't someone that lied to another person, no matter what the reason.

Making sure he had her attention, the yellow haired jinchuuriki began, trying to make her understand that he didn't care what she wore, "Hinata, do you really think I care how you _look_ like when you're with me? Hell, I used to wear a flashy orange jumpsuit only a few days ago, compared to me, you look like a goddess!" Naruto said, finishing with the sincerest smile that Hinata had ever seen on his face. He truly believed that she looked good pretty enough to be with him, that no matter what she wore or how she looked liked, he would still stay with her.

Unbidden, a strange warmth spread across her entire body, making her feel lightheaded as her cheeks heated up to a bright red hue. Even though she doubted Naruto knew it, he was one of the first people to accept her for who she was, the only other one being her mother. For all her life, she had been pushed to be better, a better fighter, a better heir, nobody had ever been happy with just 

_her_…

Tears of happiness gathered in her eyes as Hinata looked back down, not wanting the boy in front of her to see her crying, "Th…T-Thank you Naruto-k-kun…"

Naruto just smiled in return before it died down as he noticed the tears in her eyes, "Aw, don't cry Hinata, you look pretty in what you're wearing now anyway, so please…just stop crying…" The whiny and pleading tone in Naruto's voice only caused the Hyuuga heiress to begin laughing softly, causing Naruto to look at her in indignation for a moment before he too began to laugh along with her.

A few moments passed of them laughing together, just enjoying their time together before they slowly quieted down, and just in time too as their waiter Daichi walked up to their table a few seconds later, hands filled with two trays loaded with food, "I apologize for taking so long, but we had an accident in the kitchen that delayed your orders."

"Don't worry about it" Naruto said, waving away the man's concerns. Daichi hadn't really taken all that long, and it wasn't like the time had been wasted. Plus, this was the first restaurant he had been allowed in outside of Ichiraku Ramen, he wasn't going to make a big deal out of something so small.

Putting the food down on the table, Daichi stepped away from the group, "Is there anything else I can bring you at the moment?"

Both Naruto and Hinata declined politely and Daichi walked away with a small bow, presumably to look after his other tables. Looking back down at his plate of food, Naruto carefully took a whiff of the small pork cutlets and what smelt like shredded cabbage before looking back up at Hinata, "It smells good, now let's see what it tastes like." Breaking apart his chopsticks, Naruto took a small piece of pork and was about to pop it into his mouth before he was interrupted by Hinata.

Looking towards the usually shy Hyuuga girl, Naruto lowered the chopsticks from his mouth and looked at her curiously as she continued, "W-Why didn't y-you g-get ramen N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, he curiosity getting the better of her. She had never seen Naruto eat anything other than ramen in Konoha, so it was kind of surprising that he chose something different.

Naruto blinked owlishly for a moment, trying to comprehend the question before grinning slightly and leaning forward over the table, "Shhhh…" the jinchuuriki said while putting a finger to his lips, "…don't tell Ayame or Teuchi, they might think I'm giving up their ramen."

Hinata couldn't help herself, he looked so absolutely serious while saying it that she started to giggle before she could stop herself, Naruto's face still frozen in a serious expression but her sharp eyes could easily see his eyes dance with amusement and mirth in the low light of the restaurant.

Realizing what she was doing, the shy Hyuuga quickly covered her mouth with her hands as she tried to hide her smile, her cheeks tinting a light pink from embarrassment.

Naruto frowned slightly at the act before leaning forward and gently taking her hands away from her mouth, "You look pretty when you smile like that Hinata, don't try to hide it." He said, slowly putting her soft yet deceptive hands on the table before letting go.

Although disappointed that Naruto had let go of her hands, Hinata only smiled shyly in return before slightly nodding her head while Naruto smiled back happily. He _had _to find other ways to make her smile like that whenever she was with him, her whole face lit up and her eyes shone with an inner light that looked absolutely breathtaking every time she smiled. But he frowned mentally as he realized something else, Hinata only smiled like that when she was with him. Even when she was with her teammates and sensei she didn't smile like that.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto looked back down at his now cold tonkatsu and groaned in anger, "Damn it, now our food is cold." Grumbling about stupid food and how it should stay hot 

longer, Naruto quickly broke apart his chopsticks and picked up a small piece, easily popping it into his mouth with a boisterous, "Itadakimasu!"

Munching on it for a few seconds, Naruto swallowed the fried pork cutlet in his mouth and turned to Hinata, a sickened expression on his face, "You might want to have Daichi take it back and re-heat it Hinata, the food doesn't taste all that good cold." About to get up and call their waiter, Naruto was surprised when Hinata reached over hesitantly and grabbed onto his plate without a word. Before long, her hands were engulfed in translucent blue chakra.

Looking on in unrestrained awe, Naruto watched as the light blue chakra snaked its way across his plate before coalescing around his food, which soon started to steam as it was magically reheated. Done with her job, Hinata quickly brought her hands back and looked up at Naruto, only to blush at the expression of wonder on her face. It felt nice to have that kind of effect on people that you cared about.

Snapping out of his shock induced stupor; the blonde demon vessel quickly spoke up, awe and curiosity coating his voice, "Wow… That was _so_ cool Hinata! How'd you do that?"

Reigning in her blush, the lavender haired heiress stuttered out a response. After all, it wasn't everyday that you got to impress the boy of your dreams with something that had been taught to you from the day you could properly mould chakra, "I-It's a c-chakra control e-exercise f-from my c-clan Naruto-k-kun… Chakra i-is just p-pure energy t-that heats u-up w-when it's compressed, but i-if y-you don't control the a-amount e-exactly, you c-can easily b-burn y-yourself and t-the object y-your heating…" Finished with her explanation, Hinata repeated the demonstration on her own food, easily heating up her teriyaki chicken to just the right temperature.

Naruto just watched on, his lucid blue eyes transfixed on her glowing blue hands as they expertly controlled the flow and concentration of chakra. Snapping out of his revere, he looked back at Hinata as she cut of the flow, its job finished, "Hey Hinata…do you think you could teach me that? My chakra control really isn't all that good and I need all the help I can get."

Hesitatingly slightly, Hinata thought of what her father might think, since it _was _a clan exercise. What if she wasn't allowed to teach it to anyone and Naruto-kun got into trouble because of her? But then again, she knew many other shinobi and kunoichi that could do this chakra control exercise, and it wasn't as if they were specifically forbidden from teaching this to anyone unlike most of their other prized techniques.

Making up her mind, Hinata quickly nodded, "S-Sure Naruto-k-kun…I'd l-love to." If Naruto needed her help, she would do anything she could to help him, even if her father _did _forbid her from teaching it to anyone if he found out.

"Great! But since we're on a mission right now, you can't really teach me can you…" Naruto said, disappointed that he couldn't learn a new technique before he quickly brightened up, "Wait… I know, you could meet me where you met me and Jiraiya-sensei when he pushed my off of the cliff when we get back to Konoha."

Unknown to Naruto, Hinata winced when he mentioned the incident with the cliff. Even though the jinchuuriki was right in front of her alive and well, she would never be able to forget his terrified face as he fell over the edge and into the dark abyss below. Plus, she still hadn't fully forgiven the Sannin either, no matter if he _did _end up being right and Naruto did pull through.

"Now let's eat before our food gets cold again." Taking another small piece in his chopsticks, Naruto popped it into his mouth, sighing in contentment as the now warm food danced across his taste buds, enjoying the rare taste to its fullest.

He rarely, if ever got the chance to eat anything other than ramen and the odd groceries that the shop owners sold him every once in a while back in Konoha. The only others times he _had_ eaten out was when Iruka had taken him to a restaurant a few times when he was still in the Academy, but even then, that was usually to Ichiraku Ramen. Not to say that he _didn't_ like ramen, after all, ramen had become almost a sort of comfort to him as it was one of the things that brought him that much closer to both old man Teuchi and Ayame, but it was nice to eat something different every once in a while.

Agreeing with the blue eyed demon vessel in front of her, Hinata delicately picked up her chopsticks and broke them apart with a sharp crack of splitting wood. Muttering a subdued and dignified, "Itadakimasu…" Hinata gave one final look towards the happy blonde and dove in with the poise and grace worthy of someone of her stature.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto ate away at his food at a good pace in the comfortable silence, not fast enough to look like a pig, but not too slow either; after all, he didn't want to look like a slob in front of Hinata of all people. Putting a chopstick full of shredded cabbage into his mouth, Naruto quietly looked up at the silent Hyuuga heiress from the top of his eyes, taking the time to actually get a good look at her.

Frowning slightly, he didn't know _why _Hinata thought she didn't look pretty, there was an innocence and purity to her that was hard to ignore or hate despite their job as assassins for their village; a far cry from all the other kunoichi in the Academy that he knew. _Everything_ about the girl absolutely _screamed_ poise and dignity, from the way she gripped her chopsticks to the way she dabbed at her lips with her napkin…every single motion looked as if it had been planned out meticulously and down to the last detail, making it look like she was born with that effortless grace.

Lowering his eyes back down to his plate of food, Naruto continued eating, his mind a maelstrom of thoughts and question. He had always wondered why a kunoichi like Hinata from the noblest clan in Konoha would even want to be seen with someone like him, a despised orphan that doesn't even know if his parents were dead or alive.

But then again, this was _Hinata_, possibly _the_ nicest girl in all of Konoha. He remembered that even way back in the beginning of their Academy years; she had never made fun of him, even when the entire class had been mocking him, she would just look at him with a small, shadowed gaze. She had never been disappointed in him, even when he screwed up royally, and to top it all off, she was one of the few people that believed in him and his dream, that looked at him and didn't see a demon, but just Naruto, the twelve-year old genin and not an eons old demonic force of nature.

Putting it out of his mind for now, Naruto resolved to ask Hinata about it later, not that he wasn't grateful that she was his friend, hell, he couldn't thank her enough for being his friend, he was just curious as hell. But it would have to wait for now…

Besides, his food was getting cold.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto gulped audibly, letting out a nervous chuckle as his red-eyed sensei glared down at both him and Hinata, who sat beside him on the bed with her head bowed. They had just arrived back to their hotel rooms after a day of looking for supplies, only to find both Kiba with Akamaru and Kurenai-

sensei waiting for them in the boy's room. But seriously, they hadn't been _that_ late, it was only around six o'clock, and besides, they had enjoyed their time together. Looking towards Kiba for some help, the dog boy only grinned wolfishly in return, amusement twinkling in his eyes as he left the demon vessel to his fate.

Glaring at the Inuzuka in mock hatred, Naruto returned his gaze towards his temporary sensei, wilting under her own glare infused with the slightest bits of killing intent. Gathering up his courage, Naruto pulled himself up and tried to explain for both him and Hinata, "Please Kurenai-sensei, just let me explain…"

Although the piercing glare didn't seem to lessen, Kurenai did slightly nod her head, silently asking Naruto to continue. Taking a deep breath, Naruto started his explanation, "You see, after me and Hinata ate, we went out and searched for a shinobi weapons shop since we both needed to resupply. About an hour later of searching, I decided to send out my clones so they could come back and tell me if they found one, and even Hinata started to use her Byakugan."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed slightly in thought as she mentally when over what the jinchuuriki had said about his clones. After using them for so long, he _should_ know about the added benefits of that technique, the main reason it was created and the reason _why_ it was considered a forbidden ninjutsu despite the chakra cost. But then again, this _was_ Naruto, and not that she didn't respect the boy; he was always a tad bit slow when it came to noticing things most normal people would take note of easily, just take Hinata's crush for example, although he did seem to be getting noticeably better.

Then again, she couldn't really keep that against him, Naruto hadn't always had that much support from other people when growing up, not to mention he rarely, if ever, went out of his dingy little apartment when he was younger. And because he was isolated from the rest of society for the majority of his life, he hadn't picked up the necessary skills that most other children grew up with, developing them as they got older and more mature. It was a wonder the jinchuuriki could even read and write as well as he did, although she did always wonder who taught him those things.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kurenai returned her attention to the two genin in front of her; silently resolving to tell Naruto the trick behind **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) **whenever she got the chance. Even though she could use the technique herself, she had nowhere near the godly amount of chakra needed to use them effectively over a long period of time, something that the chakra battery known as Naruto would surely be able to do.

"After another hour or so of searching, Hinata finally found a shop near the edge of town with her Byakugan where went to resupply." Finished with his explanation and patting his full shuriken and kunai pouches for added proof, Naruto looked up at his sensei, happily noting that the frightening glare had disappeared without a trace but a stern look was still in place.

"While that may explain a lot of things, that still leaves around five hours unaccounted for…" Kurenai said in a sharp tone, watching with amusement as the blue eyed genin started to squirm. Although she had nothing against the two of them being late since they had plenty of time to complete the mission, he had to understand that if you did not listen to the orders of your superior, you were going to get into trouble. Besides, one chronically tardy pervert of a scarecrow was enough in Konoha, they didn't need another one.

"Oh…about that…well, after me and Hinata got out supplies, I wanted to look around the city and I dragged Hinata along with me…that's why we were so late…" Naruto said hesitantly.

Sighing in resignation since nothing could be done about it now, Kurenai took a deep breath before looking at the two late genin, "Since it's already too late to continue to Port City, we will have to stay 

here for another night and continue on in the morning, but don't think you two are off the hook yet. You both disobeyed orders from your superior and _will_ be punished accordingly."

Getting over his shock, Naruto sputtered in indignation before jumping up to stand in front of the red-eyed jounin from spot in the bed, "But that's not fair, why should Hinata get punished for something _I_ did!? I'll accept take the punishment by myself, but don't punish Hinata for something she didn't even do."

Kurenai blinked owlishly in stupefied surprise at the determined genin in front of her, astonished that he would voluntarily take the blame for something just so Hinata wouldn't get punished. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised; although not many people liked him, nobody could deny the complete and utter unwavering loyalty he had for his fellow comrades. Smiling slightly, Kurenai quickly masked her emotions as her respect for the boy grew another few notches.

Off to the side, Kiba was looking at his fellow genin in surprise. Although he couldn't really say he knew Naruto that well, one thing he did know about the loud-mouth blonde was that he _never_ said anything without going through with it.

Hinata, on the other hand, had an almost pleading look on her face as she gazed at Naruto. She didn't want Naruto-kun to get punished all by himself for something the both of them did.

"Fine, if you really want to accept responsibility for your actions, I guess Hinata's off the hook, but your punishment will have to wait until we get back to Konoha, we still have a _mission_ to do." Kurenai said, emphasizing the 'mission' part.

Nodding sheepishly, Naruto just nodded his head, "Don't worry Kurenai-sensei, it won't happen again." He said, resolving to _never_ be late when it concerned his temporary sensei. Although Kakashi might not give a shit about whether he was late or not since he was always busy training Sasuke, Kurenai was all about proper ninja etiquette and whatnot.

"See to it that it doesn't…" Finished with her reprimand of the two genin, the jounin sensei of Team 8 turned around walked to the door before stopping and looking back at the three genin, "We will _all_ wake up at seven sharp tomorrow morning to continue to Port City, don't be late." Giving one last mock glare at Naruto, who gulped slightly in return, Kurenai walked out the door and into her own room for the night with a mischievous smile on her face. Maybe _this _was why Anko liked messing with people so much, it was _fun_!

Back in the room, Naruto was startled as Hinata spoke up in a soft tone for the first time since they came back, eyes moist at the thought of Naruto getting reprimanded, "N-Naruto-kun…w-why d-did you do t-that?" She couldn't understand _why_ Naruto would take the blame even though she was with him the entire day.

Naruto just looked back at Hinata and walked forward, sitting beside her on the bed before he spoke, "Because it was _my_ fault that we were late Hinata, even though you told me when we had to get back, it was because I wanted to see the village that made us late, why should _you_ get punished for something _I_ did?" Naruto questioned. He would never let anyone get punished for something _he_ did, especially not someone like Hinata, one of his most precious people on his admittedly short list. What kind of a Hokage would he be if he let his own people, the ones that accepted him and saved him from the hell of solitude get hurt for something he did?

Hinata just smiled shyly in return, that was Naruto for you, always thinking about other people's happiness before his own, "T-Thank you Naruto-k-kun…" The Hyuuga heiress said softly before getting up and making her way towards the door, only to stop unexpectedly.

Swiftly turning around, Hinata surprised all three members of the room, herself included as she quickly wrapped her arms around Naruto's torso, giving him a soft squeeze filled with gratitude, "G-Good night N-Naruto-kun." Before quickly letting go and running out the door, her face burning a bright crimson as she disappeared around the corner.

Naruto stood there for a few moments later, trying to get used to the warm feeling coursing through his chest, a feeling he got every single time he hugged Hinata before slightly shaking his head, trying to push back the tears he knew were coming, "Good night…Hinata-chan…"

The softly whispered eulogy gently floated through the air, lost to the ears of mortals as Naruto slowly turned around and headed to the washroom, ignoring the slack-jawed expression on Kiba's face as he walked by him.

Shaking himself out of his stupor much like a dog would, Kiba just shrugged his shoulders and climbed into bed, Akamaru trotting to his side before plopping himself down beside his master. Maybe Shikamaru was right, girls _are_ troublesome, even ones as quiet as Hinata.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Two Days Later…_

Naruto jumped to through the trees behind his sensei, chakra coating his hands and feet as he flipped over a branch, swinging on the one above it and landing beside Kurenai without breaking his stride.

They had just gotten to Port City about an hour ago when the sun was just coming over the horizon and had immediately set out to find the mercenary camp. Of course Kurenai-sensei had asked the local police force for any information they could use, but it hadn't really helped all the much.

Other than what they already knew, they had found out that there were around eighty to one hundred ten mercenaries, quite a bit lower than expected. Although that may be because there seemed to have recently been a fight amongst their ranks for whatever reason, leading to quite a few dead, at least according to the police force. But what _had_ been surprising and quite a bit more important was that the police suspected the mercenaries had hostages.

And now, they were making their way towards where the encampment had been spotted last, all traces of goofiness gone from Naruto's face, but if one looked closely, they could easily see the nervous tension hiding just inside his eyes. Behind him, Hinata and Kiba jumped along, Hinata with her Byakugan active, looking out for any signs of life and Kiba occasionally taking to Akamaru, relying on the pups incredible sense of smell to lead them the right way.

About to jump to another sturdy branch, Naruto stopped cold as a potent and absolutely disgusting smell hit his sensitive nose, his chakra laden feet stripping away the bark as his velocity carried him forward even with the adhesion provided by the blue energy.

Kurenai stopped and turned around as she sensed her temporary student stop moving. Behind him, both Kiba and Hinata ground to a halt, looking at him questioningly before Akamaru suddenly started squirming in the Inuzuka's jacket, quick yips and barks quickly relying what he smelt to his human partner.

Looking back up at his curios and somewhat irritated sensei, Kiba quickly relayed what Akamaru had told him, "Akamaru says that he can smell a large gathering of human up ahead not too far from here, most likely the mercenaries along with a completely different smell, one he can't recognize but he says it smells _disgusting_."

Turning towards the blonde, Kiba gave him a curios yet strangely feral look as he stood there, his nose wrinkled up in disgust, "I know you smell it too Naruto, that's why you stopped, but _how _could you? Even _I_ can't smell it yet and I'm an Inuzuka, and there's no way your nose could be as strong as Akamaru's."

Startled out of his thoughts, Naruto quickly looked towards Kurenai for some help but she only looked at him in sympathy. He knew he couldn't tell them about the Kyuubi being sealed inside of him and that it was probably the reason why he had such advanced senses, so he quickly tried to think of a possible reason before they got suspicious.

Finding nothing else, he quickly made up some bullshit that made some sense to him and hoped it worked, "Oh… I was just improving my sense of smell with chakra, something Kakashi-sensei taught us, I thought it might be useful…" Naruto said, looking towards the red-eyed beauty as she gazed at him with poorly disguised surprise.

Kurenai looked at him for a moment, surprise coloring her feminine face before she slowly smirked. No matter what everybody else may think of the boy, nobody could doubt his ability to think on the spot and under pressure. Not only did the explanation make perfect sense for something he just pulled out of his ass, it was also _true_. It seemed that an ungodly amount of luck was just another thing to add the jinchuuriki's list of abilities. Then again, Kitsune were always known to be lucky sons of bitches.

"That was a good idea Naruto; a lot of shinobi and kunoichi use that technique all the time to search for people when nin dogs aren't available, myself included." Taking her own advice, Kurenai concentrated chakra into her nose, heightening her sense of smell to even greater levels than that of an Inuzuka before taking a light whiff of the air, only to wrinkle her nose in disgust as it hit her delicate nose. Unlike Kiba, Akamaru and probably Naruto, she knew what the smell was from her numerous other missions during her chuunin and jounin career. It was the overpowering smell of cheap booze, body odour, and sex.

Cutting of the flow of chakra to her nose, Kurenai frowned as her sense of smell withered away to almost nothing. While enhancing your senses with chakra did seem like a good idea, what most inexperienced ninja _didn't_ know was that it also had a very nasty side effect. Unlike charging your muscles with chakra which are able to withstand the massive increase of power, senses are a _lot_ more sensitive, especially the nose and ears. Even with her phenomenal chakra control, her olfactory sensors had still burnt out from the improvement, not used to accepting so much information so suddenly.

Throwing the loss of her smell out of her mind, it would be back to normal in a few hours at the most anyways, Kurenai returned her attention to the topic at hand. If her nose had been right, than the information regarding the hostages was probably true.

Turning towards her patiently waiting team, the red-eyed jounin filled them in on what she had learnt, "Although you three may not know it, that is the smell of booze, human odour, and…sex…" Wincing slightly at the gasp from Hinata and Kiba and the widening of the eyes from Naruto, Kurenai continued, "That means that they probably do have hostages, most likely female to relieve…_stress_."

With the way their sensei had said it, Naruto had no doubt in his mind that they were being used as nothing but holes to be filled just because they could, and if there was one thing that he hated above all, it was rapists. Unintentionally, a growl escaped his parted lips are Naruto bared his slightly elongated canines. Rapists deserved no mercy in his book after he had seen what they could do to a person.

He had been around five at the time, still living in the orphanage when he had been _accidently_ locked out. Having nowhere else to go, Naruto had crawled into a slightly wet alley way and made a make-shift house from a few boxes that he found lying around, deciding to wait out the night as best as he could.

Falling asleep about an hour into the night, Naruto had been abruptly awakened by what sounded like a muffled scream. Curious as any five year old, he had gingerly looked out of a small hole in the box to his side, watching in morbid curiosity as a man roughly grabbed a woman and shoved her into the wall before injecting her in the neck with something.

A few seconds had passed before the woman suddenly stopped struggling and went limp in the man's arms before he proceeded to have his way with her. Although at the time he didn't understand _what_ was going on, two things had burnt itself into his mind from that night; things he swore he would never forget until the day he died and the reason why he absolutely _hated_ rapists with such a passion.

Although Naruto had only gotten a glimpse of it, for one single moment the woman had looked straight in his direction and he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat as he looked into her bright green eyes, pure and unrelenting terror shining in their emerald depths in the twilight of the moon as tears of panic and hatred trickled down her porcelain cheeks, panic at what was happening to her and hatred for the man violating her. Her bubblegum pink hair, now matted with dirt and grime shone in the moonlight.

The second was the face of the man, twisted into a visage of sick glee and pleasure as he relentlessly thrust into her unresponsive form. About ten minutes or so had passed before the man finally finished and left the woman there, lying on the soaked ground broken and unmoving.

It would be two more hours before the female got up and walked away without a word, her bloodshot eyes still glistening with unshed tears.

He had later learnt in the Academy exactly _what_ the man had done to the woman during one of the more morbid sessions, and it marked the day his hatred for those pieces of human trash that called themselves men began.

Now that they knew what these pieces of scum had been up to, it would make his job all the more easier before he realized that he was growling. Quickly repressing his anger, at least for the moment, Naruto returned his attention to his jounin sensei who was staring at him strangely.

Kurenai stared at the blonde boy, shaking off her slight fear. Naruto had sounded _dangerous _and not quite human right then when he growled of all things, a sound she was quite sure a _human_ should not be able to make, "Now not only has this become an elimination mission, but also a rescue mission. Along with finishing off all the bandits, we also have to find and rescue any villagers that we can. Since we're pretty close to it, we'll do some scouting first before making our move."

Naruto and the rest of the team readily nodded, preparing themselves for the upcoming slaughter. After all, even with only three genin, a ninja dog, and a rookie jounin, eliminating around one hundred mercenaries and liberating a few villagers shouldn't be too big of a challenge, especially with Naruto's unparalleled cloning capabilities.

After flying through the now sparsely placed trees for a few more minutes, Kurenai jumped down to the dirt road below and proceeded through the underbrush growing around the area, her three genin easily following behind her. Weaving through the greenery to reduce the amount of noise they made, the four ninja and one dog came to the edge and into a moderate sized clearing. What they saw made the three rookie genin gasp.

It looked to be a large expanse of at least forty tents, various ill-hygienic and lethargic men milling about doing various mundane things. Since it was still quite early in the morning, only a few were still out of their tents, and those that were out were huddled around various sized cooking fires, waiting for their food to be done or passed out on the grass.

Trash littered the place along with what seemed to be the bones of various animals, and the smell was almost nauseating so close to the actual gathering. All in all, it looked like a hovel, and that was putting it lightly.

Catching some movement from the corner of his eye, Naruto quietly turned his head in the direction, only to almost blow their cover had Kurenai not put a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him from rushing into the field and killing the mercenary.

Whipping his head to face the jounin, Naruto gave her a withering glare before pointing at the scene, "Just look at her face Kurenai-sensei! Tell me that you don't want to go in there and kill that bastard for what he's doing to her."

Kurenai only grimaced as she looked out to the field where Naruto was pointing, but didn't let up on her grip on his shoulder either.

A fully grown man stood there, various tattoos covering his undressed torso and a chain in his hand, the other end of it tied to the bruised neck of a girl. From the looks of it, she could barely be seventeen if that and standing there, naked as the day she was born. Silent tears coursed down her bruised cheeks as the mercenary led her through the camp and into another tent on the far side of the clearing; the leering eyes of the conscious men following her every move.

Switching her attention to the still seething boy, Kurenai gave him a frigid glare, causing his own to wilt under the pressure of her killing intent, "I know how you feel Naruto, believe me, but I _cannot_ let you endanger your own life and the lives of your comrades just because you want to rush into a situation that you don't like."

Eyes widening at the thought of his friends getting hurt because of him, Naruto nodded solemnly in return, causing Kurenai to smile slightly before she motioned them to head back so they could properly prepare.

"Now, since this is also a rescue mission because of the hostages, Hinata and I will be going around the camp and freeing the captives, Since they don't seem to be fully clothed, they will be a lot more comfortable around other women than a man."

Hinata nodded, relief washing over her tense form at not having to do most of the dirty work unlike the two boys on her team. She would much rather save the girls and women trapped in this hell hole then go around killing the bandits and mercenaries.

Watching the Hyuuga heiress from the corner of her eye, Kurenai smiled sadly. Hinata was too kind and gentle, too innocent to take the life of another human being, even if that person was deserving of their fate, she wasn't ready yet. Until she was ready though, Kurenai would do her damndest to protect her young charge from the more horrible aspects of shinobi life, the girl that had become like a little sister to her over their years together.

Returning her attention to the two boys in front of her, she was happy to see that they both looked ready, well, at least Naruto did, which wasn't really all that surprising considering Team 7's latest mission together. On the other hand, Kiba seemed almost as nervous as Hinata.

"Kiba, Naruto, you two will be the ones taking care of the bandits, at least until me and Hinata get the captives to safety. Try to draw them away from the tents as much as you can…any and all jutsu are allowed, Naruto feel free to use as many **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)** as you want."

Everyone nodded in acceptance and Kurenai took out a kunai, twirling it idly in her hand as she fixed them all with a level stare, "Hinata…Kiba…. I know this is your first mission over D-rank but do not hesitate to kill because if you do, they _will _kill you…"

Both the rookie genin nodded and Kurenai smiled sadly. Here they were, kids barely old enough to be out of school and already killing for the sake of their village, throwing their lives into a dark abyss of bloody tears and broken dreams that barely any shinobi got back out of unscathed. Not for the first time did the raven haired jounin wonder exactly how sane the leaders of the village were to allow such a thing to happen.

She then turned her attention to the only genin she knew was ready for something like this, "Naruto… although you've been on an A-rank mission already which is much more dangerous than anything a C-rank can throw at you, what missing ninja have in quality these mercenaries make up for it in quantity. Your best bet would be to mob the place with clones to create a distraction and confusion… Just make sure you're careful okay…"

The jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi only smiled slightly in return at the lightly veiled concern in the jounin's voice. Even though he wasn't a part of her team, she still cared about him, "Don't worry Kurenai-sensei, you can count on me! Besides, I won't die until I complete my dream so you don't have to worry about anything…"

Kurenai smirked; she didn't doubt him for a second that he would become Hokage one day. Although in the beginning she had always doubted the boy's delusional dream, after all, what kind of a Kage would the dead last of the Academy make? But the more she got to know him, the more her respect for him grew, and while he still had some rough edges, well, a lot is more like it, she knew that with a bit of refining and cultivating, Naruto would make a damn fine Hokage. After all, he _was _still a genin just out of the Academy; he still had plenty of time to learn the finer points of being a leader.

Quickly schooling herself, Kurenai subconsciously tightened her grip on the kunai in her hand. They had wasted enough time already and people were out there that needed their help, "Right, it's time to go; we will begin the assault as soon as Naruto's clones begin the attack. Kiba, begin after Naruto has created the distraction, and Hinata, you will follow me, helping me pick of any mercenaries that might try to run away. Now let's head out."

Listening to the advice of the jounin, Naruto put his hands into the familiar cross-like seal, concentrating his massive chakra reserves into creating the clones. A poof of chakra induced later and twenty more black-clad ninja stood beside the original, already aware of their orders.

Quickly reigning in her awe at the amount of clones this _genin_ made, Kurenai gave them one last smile before nodding and they flashed away, looking for strategic vantage points along the clearing that would give them the best chance at completing their assigned task.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Peering through the dense foliage, Naruto looked at the seven slightly drunk mercenaries surrounding the camp fire in front of him. Since Kurenai-sensei needed the mercenaries away from the captives, he and Kiba had decided to pick the area with the highest concentration of bandits and lowest concentration of tents, that way when the fighting actually started they would all be drawn towards that single spot.

Delving into the slight mental link he had with all of his clones, not strong enough to see what they did but just enough to be aware of where, how many and what their surface thoughts were, he saw that around fourteen of them had positioned themselves into the trees surrounding his general area, the rest of the clones staying close to the ground.

Off to the side, Kiba looked towards his blonde haired counterpart with a questioning gaze, "So what do we do know?"

Although it may seem odd that he was asking _Naruto_ of all people for help, the other boy had a lot more experience in creating diversion from all his pranks back in Konoha, some of which he had helped in. Most people didn't truly appreciate the staggering amount of time and simply astonishing amount of effort Naruto put into each and every single one of his pranks. Besides, Kurenai-sensei had said herself that there was no room for foolish pride on this mission.

Looking oddly towards the dog wielding genin, Naruto shook himself out of his surprise and donned a serious expression, "Well, I was thinking that we could flush them out with explosive tags since it would also make a distraction for Kurenai-sensei and Hinata."

Seeing the other boy nod in acceptance, Naruto sent the mental command to his clones to ready their explosive tag rigged kunai. Taking out one of his own kunai, Naruto wrapped a red rimmed triangular piece of paper around the handle, the highest level of explosive tags allowed for sale to genin in Konoha.

Creeping forward through the undergrowth, Naruto funnelled a bit of chakra into the explosive note attached to the kunai, starting the reaction before flinging it into the midst of the seven mercenaries. Diving into his metal link with the **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)** again for a split second, Naruto felt that three of the clones had taken his example and thrown their own explosive note rigged kunai, not wanting to cause too much collateral damage and possible harm the hostages.

The kunai spiralled through the air, the soft whistling sound of wind being cut left in its wake before embedding itself in the soft soil near the fire. A single mercenary further away from the fire looked up at the soft thud, gazing intently at the sharp piece of metal in confusion before recognition flashed in his now panicked eyes, "Oh shit! It's a explo-"

He didn't get to finish before a deafening boom shook the ground and coated the area in a blanket of smoke, obscuring the genin's vision, dirt and debris flying through the air at breakneck speeds as the screams of the dead and dying rang through the air. All across the field, similar explosions rocked the area shortly followed by screams and obscenities.

Amidst the confusion and chaos, Naruto paused slightly to think of his first kills outside of Haku. Unlike when he had learnt about killing the fake hunter nin from Sakura, he didn't feel all that much now, he didn't feel justified or guilty, just a cold sort of detachment and apathy with just the tiniest bits of remorse for the needless loss of life. Well, at least he should be thankful, it was better than feeling the disbelief and disgust he had felt after learning about Haku's morbid death.

The smoke cleared with a gust of wind and both Naruto and Kiba gasped at the carnage and destruction left behind by that one tag.

Only five men had been left behind near the fire, and not one of them would live to see the next day. The other two had been thrown at least twenty feet away from the blast zone by the concussive force alone, their bodies a mangled mess of blood and bones.

The remaining five were on the ground, three of them dead from the blistering heat and explosive force, their skin a charred black while two others, further away from the epicentre lay on the ground very much alive and screaming bloody murder. One was clutching his mangled leg and the other one that had recognized the kunai for what it was had his hands on his stomach, trying to hold his insides together from the giant gash in his abdomen.

The sight was enough to leave him physically sick and off to the side, Kiba turned away from the grizzly scene, fighting off the urge to vomit, but Naruto held his disgust in, now was not the time to worry about what he felt, he could always deal with it later, right now he had a job to do.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto took out a kunai from his pouch and burst through the foliage, running towards the mercenaries that were pouring out of the tents to check out the commotion when they noticed him.

There a moment of silence before another mercenary's eyed widened, noticing the gleaming headband, "You… He has a headband! Shit…it's a _ninja_!"

Taking advantage of the their hesitation and newly found fear, Naruto charged the first mercenary in his path, dodging the sloppy sword swing before grabbing the arm and twisting it behind the ma's back, ruthlessly jamming the kunai into the base of his neck with a sickening squelch and spray of blood.

Ignoring the man's gurgled scream of pain, Naruto twisted the blade before yanking it out, watching as the man crumpled to the ground before returning his steely gaze to the other ten or so mercenaries who were now watching him warily after witnessing a 'comrades' death.

About to charge into their ranks, Naruto was surprised as a tornado of swirling winds and rending claws ripped through the assembled line with easy, blood and gore flying through the air as the Inuzuka tore through them with his signature technique.

Spinning out of the **Tsuuga (Piercing Fang)**, Kiba skidded across the ground, blood dripping off his claws and arms before looking back at the collection of bodies. The first one he had hit was lying in two separate pieces, his entrails seeping out of his ripped flesh while the others had fist sized holes and deep, bloody gashes all over their bodies; they would slowly bleed to death in a matter of minutes.

Only one mercenary had been left unscathed, nothing but a shallow gash in his side from the deadly onslaught. Running towards the boy with his shoddy sword poised above his head, he swung towards the genin's head, hoping to decapitate him only to stop dead in his tracks as a single shuriken whipped through the air and drilled into his skull, killing him instantly.

Kiba smiled as he saw Naruto standing there, right hand still extended and a resigned look in his eyes, as if he'd come to terms with the unnecessary killing, knew that it still had to be done no matter how much he wanted otherwise. Giving the jinchuuriki a respectful nod, Kiba bounded away to look for other targets, Naruto following soon after.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Ragged breathing escaped his mouth as he darted towards the trees, hoping to the gods above that he had never believed in before that he would make it before they found him.

These ninja…they had appeared out of nowhere and just started killing _everyone_! There was _so_ much blood on him that he couldn't even see the color of his clothing anymore, and all because of those yellow haired devils whose eyes seemed to reflect hell itself…

The frightened mercenary continued to run towards the safety of the trees, it would do him no good to stay here and fight, no matter how much money he would lose, just as long as he stayed _alive_ to make more. Besides, a man like him could always find more suitable work.

Sprinting the last few meters, the mercenary dived behind a sturdy tree, breathing a sigh of relief at his successful escape only for a choked scream to erupt from his mouth as a kunai sank into his throat, arterial blood exploding outwards from the pressure.

Kurenai walked up to the dead mercenary with a calm but hurried gait, quickly slipping out the kunai before wiping it clean on the dead man's already blood soaked clothing.

Hinata walked in after her sensei, pale lavender eyes coursing with chakra watching as the last remnants of life left the man's eyes, leaving only a dull, colorless abyss in its place. Pushing the grisly image out of her mind, Hinata made a quick sweep over the area with her Byakugan, focusing on a large tent before calling out to the jounin, "K-Kurenai-sensei, t-there are s-some c-captives in t-the tent u-up a-ahead."

Gazing towards the tent up ahead, Kurenai nodded before walking into the clearing, Hinata trailing behind her. Taking the kunai in her hand, the jounin idly threw it towards one of the three charging mercenary, the sharp piece of metal sinking into his front with a dull thud as he fell forward. After all, while she was still a rookie, there was a world's difference between a mercenary and a jounin.

Hinata got into a stance as the other two paused for a moment, ready to defend herself when a black blur slammed into one of them, a wet snapping sound echoing through the air as the mercenary flew through the air, his neck and jaw broken from the clawed fist impacting his cheek.

Hinata blinked as the figure got up but smiled as she easily recognized his blonde hair and blue eyes that curiously had a red tint to them, almost giving them a purple gleam, "N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto looked up at the Hyuuga heiress, smidges of blood and dirt coating his hands and face as he smiled, happy to see the shy girl safe and sound, "Hey Hina-"

His expression turned into one of shock as he gazed down at his chest, a bloody sword protruding from the left, piercing his heart. Hinata gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at the sight with cloudy eyes, tears threatening to spill, _'N-No…i-it can't b-be…he c-can't be d-dead…_' Only for the impaled Naruto to explode into a cloud of smoke a moment later.

Not expecting the ninja to disappear of all things, the mercenary began looking around wildly, trying vainly to find his target before a chakra coated hand struck his chest with enough force to throw him back several feet, his heart instantly liquefying on impact as the spike of visible chakra exploded out of his back.

Cold lavender eyes stared at the thoroughly dead man, not a hint of remorse shining in them as she retracted her hand, slight chakra burns coating the skin from the amount of chakra forced through the tenketsu in that single instant.

There was not a hint of sadness in those cold eyes, just an all encompassing rage and hatred that threatened to overflow her very being. Never before had Hinata felt such rage at a single human being.

Kurenai approached the girl, not sure what to say to her. All she had seen was Naruto get hit, and an unfathomable sadness coat the eyes of her charge before the **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)** exploded into a shroud of white smoke, slightly obscuring her vision of the mercenary. The next thing she knew, Hinata was in front of the man, her hand extended and ablaze with chakra.

Walking up the motionless Hyuuga, Kurenai quietly spoke up, not really knowing what to say. She had wanted to keep Hinata away from the horrors and remorse that came from taking another human life for as long as she could, but what was done was done, now all she could do was make sure the shy and timid girl knew what she had done was right, "Hinata…are you okay"

Hinata stood still for a moment, tears starting to gather as her rage and hatred subsided, the cold, bitter reality of what she had done sunk in. Shaking her head, Hinata tried to shake away the feeling of remorse and shame, tears flying from her closed eyes like little rain drops onto the bloodied ground, _'H-He d-deserved it f-for trying t-to t-take my N-Naruto-kun away_…'

But even though she knew the man deserved it and that it was her _job_ to kill him, it still didn't stop the guilt from washing over her in a cloud of sorrow and disgust, guilt for taking a human life that had as much of a right to live as her, only to be discarded because her village commanded it so.

Hinata collapsed to her knees as Kurenai knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around the lavender haired genin's shoulders and muttering soothing words as her small body shook with silent sobs. The remaining mercenary had already ran away, too terrified to even stay near the two kunoichi.

"Shhhhhh…its okay Hinata, cry all you want, I'm here for you…" A few minutes passed before the kunouchi's sobbing died down to little sniffles, Kurenai rubbing her back gently as the genin hiccupped slightly, "T-Thank you K-Kurenai-sensei…"

Kurenai smiled down at the girl in her arms before getting up and holding out her hand, "Come on Hinata, we still have a mission to do, we'll take more after it's done." Nodding slightly, Hinata took the offered hand and resumed their fast gait towards the tent with the captives, activating her Byakugan just in case. Looking to the side slightly, Hinata focused on a black figure with blonde hair matted with blood, wincing slightly as the clawed hands easily tore open a throat.

At least she had it better than Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun; she didn't have to see her hands coated in the blood of the countless dead because of then, an irremovable stain that would forever tarnish their very souls.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto looked towards his clone as it easily tore open the throat of a mercenary with slightly clawed hands, one of the last few remaining, blood spraying over his form in a slight mist of hazy red from the arterial spray.

Scanning over the remaining field, the jinchuuriki saw that most of the mercenaries were either dead or dying on the ground. Only a handful were left that were quickly being taken care of by his clones or Kiba and Akamaru, it was hard to tell since both of them looked exactly alike for some strange reason.

He knew it wasn't **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)** because he had used the technique enough to easily tell the difference, so it had to be something else. Maybe he could ask the Inuzuka about it after they got back to Konoha…

Putting it out of his mind for now, Naruto turned to the last tent at the end of the clearing that hadn't been looked into by Kurenai and Hinata.

The jinchuuriki cautiously walked forward, slowly approaching the closed flap of the tent and was about to peer inside, only to stop dead in his tracks as the now familiar and musky smell hit his sensitive nose full force, memories of times long past resurfacing in his mind.

Unconsciously, a growl escaped his throat, his teeth slightly elongating as his nails grew taught. His blue eyes gained a red tinge, and the pupils turned to slits, giving him a feral and animalistic look.

Naruto looked into the tent, only to see the tattoo covered mercenary kneeling behind the girl from before, relentless thrusts pounding into her bruised ass with merciless fervour, the chain still in his hand while the other one reached down and fondled her impressive breasts.

Fading bruises covering her porcelain skin were visible to Naruto's sharp eyes as his eyes trailed down her naked body, only to be snappe d from his stupor as a sharp _smack_ echoed through the tent as his eyes trailed to her behind, the girl's ass cheeks burning a bright red from the punishment and her eyes screwed shut from the pain.

A small puddle was visible on the makeshift bed underneath them, her womanly juices trickling down her creamy thighs that were glistening with sweat, mocking her that this felt good even though she didn't want it too.

Looking on in mute horror, Naruto watched on as the girl turned her head to look towards him with surprised cobalt eyes, tears of pain leaving a silent trail down her bruised cheeks and a resigned expression on her innocent face. But even as she was being violated, the girl didn't make a sound, not wanting to give the mercenary the pleasure of hearing her scream, whether in pain or in pleasure.

Naruto's eyes flashed red as crimson yokai boiled underneath his skin, his nails turning into diamond hard claws as the blonde simply _snapped_.

Crouching low to the ground on instinct, Naruto unleashed a blast of killing intent powered with the Kyuubi's own hatred before exploding forward, the power of the nine tailed bijuu coursing through his veins allowing him to reach the now frozen man in the blink of an eye.

Blood flew through the air and the girl screamed as the mercenaries back exploded into a shower of flesh and gore as the jinchuuriki's hand exploded out of his back, spraying the inside of the tent a dark red. A primal roar, something not quite _human_ erupted from Naruto's mouth as he swung his arm to the side, throwing the mercenary through the tent and out into the open in front of the incomplete Team 8 who had come as soon as they had felt that explosion of killing intent.

The last thing the mercenary saw as he drew his last breath were blood red orbs that seemed to burn with the unholy fires of hell itself, his very soul rent to pieces from the piercing gaze.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Pale lavender eyes watched on in horror -not at the act itself, but rather at _what_ could have caused the normally happy blonde become something so…_different_- as the blood drenched genin stepped out of the tent, his feral red eyes gazing down at the dead body of the mercenary without remorse. There was _no_ way that this…this…_thing_ was her Naruto-kun, the boy she had grown up to respect and admire for his strength and determination.

Crimson red eyes, bottomless as a void gazed back into fearful lilac, noticing the horrified expression on the kunoichi's face as she looked back at him, hands covering her mouth in an attempt hold in her concern.

A wounded expression flashed across his face before he could stop himself as the crimson eyes swirled back into innocent blue, a saddened look in them as Naruto averted his gaze to the ground below him, "There's another girl in the tent behind me Kurenai-sensei, she might need your help…"

Kurenai looked at the blonde in concern but simply complied with his wishes, Naruto could take care of himself and she could always talk to him later, "Sure thing Naruto, why don't you go and get cleaned up?"

Nodding his head, the blonde jinchuuriki turned around and headed towards a river they had seen on their way here, never noticing the concerned eyes of Hinata following him as he leapt away. The Hyuuga heiress was startled out of her thoughts when her sensei suddenly spoke up, "Go ahead Hinata… Kiba will be enough to help me."

Confused for a moment, it took her a few moments to realize what her red eyed sensei was implying. Fighting back a grin, Hinata thanked her sensei and bounded away after the yellow haired Uzumaki.

Kurenai watched her charge go, a small smile on her face. Even the most blind of people could see that the poor girl loved the demon vessel, who was just too naive to see it for what it was. Then again, he hadn't really grown up in a loving home like _most_ other kids his age, so Naruto probably didn't even know what truly loving someone really felt like…or being on the receiving end of it.

The red eyed jounin knew that Hinata would one day get Naruto to see her how she saw him, she just hoped that the boy figured out Hinata's feelings for him before something happened to the either of them… or before Hiashi found out, she didn't know which one was worse.

Turning back to the ripped tent, Kurenai tentatively walked in as she noticed the girl, no older than sixteen with cobalt eyes huddled in the corner, tears streaming down her bloodied face as he looked up at her with a pleading and hopeful expression.

Kurenai's expression softened as she gazed down at the girl before walking forward and tending to her injuries with some medical ninjutsu that she knew. After all, almost _every_ kunoichi tried the medical field at least once and then moving on to something else if they didn't like it. She herself had spent a little over two years learning medical ninjutsu before she found her calling in genjutsu.

Looking back at the shivering girl illuminated by the soft, green glow of medical chakra, Kurenai thought back to the mercenary Naruto had killed. She didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse for the mercenary, he had deserved it in her mind. The only thing she _was _worried about was the blood red eyes, eerily similar to the ones of the beast trapped within him.

Putting the thought out of her mind for now, Kurenai resolved to ask Sandaime-sama about it when they returned back to Konoha.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto sat down beside the river bank in nothing but his boxers and a worried expression on his usually happy face, his cloths laid out beside him as he waited for them to dry. The blood had washed out easily enough, but he wasn't worried about that. What he _was_ worried about was what he had felt when he had killed his last mercenary.

While to most of the people watching from the outside, it looked as if he had felt absolutely nothing, but for the slightest of moments, he had felt a sick sense of satisfaction as he watched his clawed hand go through the mercenary's torso and explode out of his back, showering the tent in a mist of red.

He knew the feeling of satisfaction was because of the Kyuubi's yokai running through his chakra coils, clouding his mind with rage and hatred, a never ending lust for blood. He could still feel the slight tingling sensation throughout his entire body as the last traces of yokai faded from his system, a not entirely unwelcomed feeling if he was honest with himself.

But even then, with the power of the demon running through him and clouding his mind, he had _wanted_ to kill the man, to make him suffer _just_ like the girl he had been taking advantage of just because he _could_.

The young Uzumaki was startled out of his thoughts as he heard a branch snap in the trees to the left of him, a kunai in his hand as he jumped into a quick defensive stance taught to every Academy student and called out to the potential enemy, "Hey! Who's out there?"

"A-Ano… i-it's me N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered quietly as she moved towards the surprised blonde, a fierce blush on her cheeks as she gazed at his form clad in nothing but boxers before quickly looking away. While she saw all this and more every time she used the Byakugan, after all, it did give her the ability to see through any and all solid material, not to mention in a 359 degree panoramic view around her; nothing could beat the actual view.

Surprised to see the Hyuuga heiress even after what she had seen him do, Naruto was about to ask her what she was doing here when he noticed her strange expression, "Hey Hinata…what's wrong? You seem kinda red…" Strange, why did she always seem to get red when she was around him?

Walking up to the mortified Hyuuga, Naruto reached out and put a hand on her forehead, a thoughtful expression on his face as he hummed thoughtfully to himself. Despite the situation, Hinata couldn't help but giggle slightly at the absolutely adorable expression on his face before pointing out his state of dress, a light blush on her cheeks, "U-Um…Naruto-kun…y-you're n-not wearing any c-clothes…"

Naruto seemed to stop as he processed the information before a blush spread across his cheeks and he ran back, grabbing his clothes in the process and dived behind a large rock outcropping. Coming back a few seconds later, this time fully dressed much to Hinata's secret displeasure, Naruto smiled awkwardly at her before hesitantly speaking up.

"So…why are you here Hinata? Not that I mind…but I didn't think you'd want to see me after…well…" Naruto said in a sombre tone, sitting back down on the ground and a forlorn expression on his face. Even though Hinata had said that she could never hate him, the expression he had seen on her face had hurt more than he was willing to admit. He could take everyone else hating him, but if someone like _Hinata _started to hate him too, then he knew it was a lost cause and that he would never be accepted.

Sensing the gloomy atmosphere, Hinata hesitantly sat down beside the now dressed jinchuuriki before speaking up, her caring eyes slowly travelling over his slouched form, "I-I was w-worried…" Hinata said slowly, not quite sure how to proceed. While she _was_ getting better at talking to Naruto, she still didn't want to say something wrong and make a fool of herself.

Naruto looked at her, his vivid blue eyes that she loved so much shining in surprise at her statement. Now _that_ was a first…other then the Sandaime, Teuchi, Ayame, _sometimes_ Sasuke, and just recently Kurenai-sensei, no one had _ever_ been worried for him.

Abruptly, a small smile tinged with just a hint of sadness blossomed onto Naruto's face, "Thanks Hinata…but you don't need to worry about me, I'll be fine." Even after what she had seen him do, she was still worried about him; maybe, just maybe there was still some hope for him left.

An uncharacteristic frown fluttered onto Hinata's face as she heard the sadness tinged in his voice, now she _knew_ that he wasn't okay, "P-Please d-don't lie t-to me N-Naruto-kun… I-I w-want to help y-you."

The pure sincerity and utter conviction she said those words with left absolutely no doubt in Naruto's mind that she really _did_ want to help him, so with a sigh, Naruto took a deep breath and was about to tell her what was bugging him when Kurenai appeared in the tree line and called out to them, "Naruto, Hinata, come on it's time to go."

Looking towards the jounin waiting for them, Naruto released a grateful sigh and leapt up to his feet, turning towards the frowning heiress with a foxy smile on his face, "Sorry Hinata, but I guess I'll have to tell you some other time…" The jinchuuriki said, holding out his hand for Hinata.

Grabbing his hand with a soft blush, Hinata 'eeped' softly as Naruto quickly pulled her up, causing her to lose her balance and end up leaning against him with his other arm wrapped protectively around her to keep her from falling.

Blushing while stuttering out an apology, Hinata quickly pushed herself away, only for Naruto to wave off her concern, "Don't worry about it Hinata, it was an accident. Now let's go, Kurenai-sensei is waiting."

Hinata only nodded in return, not trusting herself to speak without sounding like a fool and leapt up after him as Naruto jumped into the trees, following their red-eyed sensei back to the clearing.

A few minutes later found the three ninja back on the road leading to the camp, the same one that they had used to get here. Stopping in front of the idly waiting Kiba, Kurenai waited for all three of them to line up before turning to them with a large smile on her face, "Congratulations you three, you have just successfully completed you very first C-rank mission."

A moment of silence passed before a whoop of joy rung through the air, Kiba pumping his fists wildly into the air at their success, "Hell yeah! Hear that Akamaru, we just completed our first C-rank!" The white puppy waged his tail happily back and forth, barking alongside his masters own happy shouts of joy.

Hinata smiled slightly as she looked towards the ground to hide her grin, unable to stop the pride from leaking into her smile. Just wait until father heard what she had done, he would surely be proud of her now, wouldn't he? After all, she was on the first rookie genin whose team was able to successfully complete a C-rank mission, not counting Naruto's A-rank mission.

A large grin spread across Naruto's face, this was just another step for his ultimate dream of becoming Hokage. However, his smile slightly slipped as he noticed a feminine figure on the edge of the road, slowly approaching Kurenai-sensei.

Easily sensing the approaching person, Kurenai turned around to face the girl with a small smile as she gave her a once over, looking at the simple shirt and black pants she had given her to wear, "So I guess it fits huh?" The jounin asked lightly, more to break the somewhat tense silence than anything else.

Getting a slow and hesitant nod in return, the girl turned towards the three genin as Kurenai introduced her, and Naruto was surprised to find shining cobalt eyes staring back into his own cerulean blue with gratitude, "Team, this is one of the hostages we rescued, she will be going back to Konoha with us since she currently had no place to stay."

At the jounin's reassuring nod, the girl strode forward and stopped in front of the three genin -more particularly Naruto- a slightly afraid expression on her face as her wide eyes darted around nervously before she did something that surprised all four shinobi and kunoichi…she _bowed._

Naruto's astonishment quickly turned into a heartfelt smile however as the girl spoke up, her voice a soft tenor and filled with thinly veiled respect and admiration, "T-Thank you Naruto-sama…for saving me… If…if it weren't for you killing that mercenary…" She trailed off, sobs racking her body as tears spilt freely from her eyes, her mind overwhelmed with emotions as she remembered her horrifying experience.

Although surprised at the suffix at the end of his name, after all, _nobody_ had ever called him anything other than demon, brat, and Naruto before back in Konoha; Naruto put it out of his mind for now as he regarded the still bowing girl, missing the reaction of the Hyuuga off to his side.

Hinata frowned, unfamiliar with the strange feeling coursing through her, a feeling she quickly realized was jealousy. Having only recently experienced this feeling, and that was only when it was regarding Hanabi and her father, Hiashi. Now that she was considered 'weak' by the clan, the Clan Head had begun training her younger sister instead of wasting her time on her.

But she had _never_ thought that she would feel such an emotion when concerning Naruto-kun. After all, she was likely the only girl in Konoha that liked him, other than the ramen girl Ayame of course, but this new girl _wasn't _from Konoha. She didn't hate him unlike the villagers, and now that Naruto had saved her life…

'_W-What if N-Naruto-kun s-starts to like h-her… I-I'll lose m-my chance…' _Hinata started, but ruthlessly crushed the thought. She _would_ get Naruto-kun to notice her, no matter what. She would be just like him and never give up because that was her ninja way.

Meanwhile, Naruto walked forward and gently raised her head off of the ground, caring blue eyes looking back into her own teary ones with gratitude, "You don't have to thank me, I was only doing what I was supposed to do, and I would have helped you anyways because men like those don't deserve to live, so don't worry about it anymore."

The girl hiccupped slightly and Naruto laughed, causing a watery smile to form on her own face as she stood back up, "But still, thank you Naruto-sama…"

Stepping forward with a small smile, Kurenai cleared her throat to get the attention of the four people and one nin dog before continuing, "Since we have an extra traveler with us, it will take longer for us to get back to Konoha, and since you can't really run as fast as a shinobi, I will be carrying you on my back."

Nodding in acceptance, the girl got onto Kurenai's back and they jumped into the trees, all four of them smiling slightly at her excited squeals and giggles as they jumped through and over the numerous branches at high speeds. It was nice to see someone in such high spirits after such a traumatic experience.

Having a sudden thought, Naruto sped up slightly so he was jumping beside Kurenai and turned to look at the girl on her back, "Say, you never did tell us your name." Naruto asked curiously. Kiba and Hinata, both hearing the question despite the wind whipping past their ears rushed forward to hear the answer.

Ducking her head slightly in embarrassment, her quiet voice, a soft and melodious tenor, floated through the air, easily making it to their ears, "My…my names Motoko Naruto-sama… "

Beaming slightly, Naruto gave her a reassuring smile that always seemed to bring a smile to her face, "AAh… That's a nice name." Naruto said with a smile, causing her to blush at his compliment before realizing that she probably didn't know that much about him and his temporary team either, well, 

other than his first name at least, "My names Uzumaki Naruto, that boy back there's Inuzuka Kiba and his partner Akamaru, and the pretty girls Hinata."

Not noticing Hinata's fierce blush and mistaking Motoko's frown for fear, Naruto quickly tried to reassure her that he'd take care of her, "And don't' worry Motoko, I'll protect you from now on, that's the promise of a life time!" Giving her a beaming grin and a small wave, Naruto returned to his original position.

Unbidden, Motoko smiled, a truly happy smile since the day she had been captured by that band of mercenaries. Things were really beginning to look up for her, and it was all because of this one boy. Looking over her shoulder slightly to see his face, Motoko buried her face into the jounin's back to hide her blush as Naruto looked back at her with a foxy grin, silently resolving herself to never let him out of her sights, because one day, he _will_ be hers.

'_And that's _my_ promise of a lifetime to you Naruto-sama…'_

**XX OMAKE XX**

**Kyuubi, Yondaime, and Na- wait, where **_**is**_** Naruto?!**

The translucent black bars of the **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)** came into view as he materialized into the mindscape with nothing but a thought, the incorporeal way to his destination all but memorized in his many trips back and forth.

Looking around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, but then again, this was the ninja world and you should never just trust your eyes to see everything for you. It felt as if something was amiss…almost as if something or _someone _was missing… Quickly switching to ninja mode, his steely blue pools of liquid ice quickly took in the surrounding details, taking in every last aspect of the dark and dank, sewer like room.

Seeing nothing threatening, he quickly moved towards the cage with the grace of a cat, gazing at the towering figure of crimson red yokai behind the corporeal bars that Death itself had crafted, "Oi Kyuubi! Where's Naruto?"

One crimson eye, radiating energy like the sun itself blinked open before narrowing in apathy, the pupil nothing but a small slit of midnight black against the fiery red as the demon gazed back down at the puny ningen with practiced disinterest, **"That impudent boy of yours has not arrived, it seems that he forgot to think of this miserable place before he fell asleep."**

A few moments of tense silence passed between the two entities, each the most powerful of their kind. One was a demon of immeasurable power and malice, the very Earth trembled beneath its paws when it had once roamed the human world. The other was but a human, said to be the most powerful ninja the shinobi world had ever known, a man that not even Death could stop. Ironically, it was that very same human that had imprisoned the demon within the confines of this room for the rest of eternity.

However, the tense silence was broken as the human spoke up, no longer able to stand the awkward silence, "So…um…what do we do now?" The Yondaime asked sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in a manner eerily reminiscent to another blonde haired youth. He really didn't feel like going back right away, and he might as well see what the bijuu was up to and if any of it involved his son.

However, the Kyuubi just continued to stare at the Hokage, as if peering into his very soul. A few more minutes passed, and Minato was seriously contemplating going back just to escape that glowing red eye when the nine tailed bijuu suddenly spoke up, **"Do you have any cards?"**

The walls of the mindscape shook with the impact of Minato's face hitting the floor, a giant sweat drop adorning the back of his head at such a stupid question. Why the _hell_ would he have a deck of cards, he was dead for crying out loud!

Quickly climbing back to his feet, the dead Namikaze glared at the fox, "Why the hell would I have a deck of cards with me, I'm dead! And why in the world would you want them anyways?"

Sighing in resignation, Kyuubi let a tendril of red yokai gather in front of its maw which slowly began to form a rough square, **"I'll take that as a no…as for why I want cards…isn't it obvious ningen…what do you **_**mortals**_** use them for?"**

Thinking for a moment despite the ease of the question, Minato slowly looked at the sealed fox with an expression of disbelief, "You want to _play_ cards of all things!? Forget that…how the _hell_ would you even _hold _them? You don't have any freaking ha-!"

He was cut off as the gigantic form of the Kyuubi slowly bled away into the dark abyss of the seal, the tendril of chakra going with it, only to be replaced with a much more 'friendly' figure a moment later, well, at least as friendly as the human form of an eons old demonic entity can be.

But the most surprising part was _what_ the figure looked like. He had expected it to be a male, after all, what other species would be the cause for all that death and destruction, not to mention that deep, baritone voice that sent chills down his spine even now despite it being sealed.

He had not, however, ever thought that _the_ Kyuubi;_ supposed_ king of all demon kind and strongest bijuu to ever exist was a female, and a rather _hot_ one at that.

Absent-mindedly stepping closer to the bars of the cage, Minato peered into the darkness to get a better look. She was absolutely _gorgeous_ by any standards of the word. Even bombshells like Kurenai and Anko couldn't hold a candle to what he saw in front of him, or, at least what he remembered of the two.

She had bright, dazzling red hair that cascaded majestically down the middle of her back and all the way down to her knees. Even in this dank and oppressing room, he could see that her skin had a nice, healthy tan despite not seeing the sun for over twelve years and her face was the epitome of femininity. It curved gently down the sides and sloped in all the right places.

Her eyes were an intoxicating mixture of red, alluring even the most strong willed of men into their bottomless abyss. Minato stood there, transfixed by her incandescent orbs for several minutes, observing the minutely shifting colors as they danced back and forth around slit like pupils, creating a lulling effect before snapping out of his thoughts.

Further down her face and beside her moist, glistening lips were three, jagged whiskers marks on each side, just like Naruto's but thicker and more pronounced, giving her a feral quality that made her all the more enticing. Minato also idly noted that there was not one single blemish on her visage; she looked like a perfect picture, untouched by the tarnish of mankind.

She wore the barest amount of clothing necessary, enough to remain modest but still small enough to show off her generous…_assets_. What looked to be a pure white sheet of clothing inlaid with gold lines covered _most _of her breasts, showing a large amount of cleavage and went down to a little below her right elbow, leaving her left arm bare from the shoulder down. What looked to be a belt with gold rivets was strapped around right below her breasts, leaving her smooth stomach exposed. Blinking with amusement, Minato gleefully noted that even her belly button was pierced with what looked like a diamond stud.

Coming to her curvy waist, what seemed to be another belt, only bigger and decorated with even more gold was strapped around it with a flat hip guard on the left side. Below that, only a white pair of panties covered her and what seemed to be a white strip of clothing that wrapped around the outside of her left leg to right above her knee where it was held by a gold band. Below that were he luscious legs, just as bare as her stomach.

The only thing on her that was _not_ white was the fingerless black glove she wore on her left hand, and what seemed to be a wrist brace on her right. Looking back at her left arm for a closer look, he saw that a crimson red tattoo made up of wavy and curvy lines was imprinted just below the inside of her wrist.

All in all, the woman in front of him was the very picture of intoxicating beauty and inhumane grace, a deadly combination if he ever saw one.

"**Like what you see mortal?" **The now demon turned human asked, a sultry yet tempting smile tugging at her lips. Even her voice had changed. Whereas before it was a deep and bellowing tone, now it was a warm, soothing alto, setting his mind at ease as he naturally relaxed his guard, feeling no need to protect himself from one as angelic as her.

But he was quickly reminded exactly who, or rather _what_ she was when her smile widened, revealing sharp, pointy canines.

Quickly taking a few steps back from the cage, Minato refocused his gaze on her eyes, "And here I always thought that you were a male…but then again…I never really saw a certain…part that all males have…" The Yondaime said, making a somewhat disgusted face. Now that he thought about it, he was _glad _that the Kyuubi was a female, he had no desire to see _that_, especially when it would probably be bigger than most of the ancient trees in Konoha.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune only scoffed in return, **"You ignorant mortals **_**would**_** think it was a male that caused all that death and destruction, but as you can plainly see I am currently a female. Although that doesn't mean I cannot change forms."**

Minato watched, transfixed on the figure behind the bars as its flesh rippled, like a rock being dropped in water before it settled again, revealing a completely different person.

_He_ now wore a Konoha headband that was strangely slanted over his left eye, complete with a generic, green vest and jounin attire. Taking a closer look at the shinobi's face, the dead Namikaze tried to figure out what the little nagging sensation in the back of his mind was before it hit him as he noticed the blue face mask covering the lower half of the shinobi's face.

"Kakashi...?" Minato said quietly, disbelief coating his voice. He looked _exactly _like what he had seen from Naruto's memories, that's why he recognized him so easily even after not seeing the jounin for over twelve years.

Said Kakashi just smirked behind his mask, an expression that looked complete wrong on the usually aloof jounin's face before his skin rippled like water, returning him, now her again, back to normal.

"**I just stay like to stay with this one because it was the first warrior that I killed on your mortal realm, although I did make a few…adjustments…" **As if to prove her point, Kyuubi walked up to the lucid cage, pressing her perfectly round and _impressive_ assets against the bars in a sensual manner.

Gulping slightly in nervousness, Minato forcibly pushed back his less then faithful thoughts about the hot as hell fox demoness in front of him, trying to think of all the times he had spent with Kushina 

before finally finding his voice, "So…um…I guess you_ can_ play cards…but we still don't have any to play wi-…"

That problem was just as easily solved as Kyuubi reached into her bust and pulled out a deck of black and red playing cards, probably composed of the yokai that he had seen gathering in front of her face a few minutes ago.

"I guess that solves that problem…" The young Namikaze said, a light blush tinting his cheeks as the Kyuubi grinned cheekily, "So what game do you want to play? Poker, blackjack…go fish?" He added as an afterthought. Who knows, he enjoyed the game himself every once in a while, so why couldn't a demonic force of nature hell bent on destruction like it also?

The Kyuubi's grin only seemed to get all the more mischievous as she continued to stare at the dead Hokage, amusement and glee shining in her incandescent red orbs as two words escaped her luscious red lips, carving their way through his ear canals and frying his brain, **"Strip Poker…"**

_A Few Hours Later…_

'_I should have known better than to gamble with a Kitsune of all things…_' Minato thought despondently as he sat down on the floor of the mindscape, most of his clothes lying beside him in a nice and neat pile. The only thing he had left on now was a white necklace and his boxers. Strangely, he didn't even feel the cold chill of the sewer water that was currently soaking him down to the bone.

Glaring at the smirking Kitsune in front of him but on the other side of the cage, Minato tried to think of _any _possible ways that she could possibly be cheating, but he knew it was just a lost cause. Kitsune were known to be some of the luckiest creatures alive and even with his admittedly good luck, he knew he didn't stand a chance.

Kyuubi, on the other hand, had only one piece of clothing lying in the pile beside her, the strange belt like thing she wore around her hips, and along with it came the cloth wrapped around her leg. The only thing that covered her from the hips down now was a pair of pure white cotton panties. He knew she had done it on purpose just to make him blush; she could have taken off any other piece of clothing that wouldn't have revealed nearly as much.

Looking at the five cards in his hand, Minato grinned as he showed Kyuubi, "Full house…beat that ya stupid fox." Although his smile did die down as the grin on the Kitsune in front of him turned positively evil. Preparing himself for the worst, he looked down at the cards she had turned towards him.

"**Royal flush mortal… You know what to do."** The smirking bijuu said, her canines protruding over her moist lips. Minato only looked at the beast in front of him in shock, disbelief written on his face, but she only smirked evilly in return.

Grumbling in indignation, Minato got up from his seat on the cold, wet ground and stood in front of the cage as the Kyuubi did the same on the other side. Reaching down to the waist band of his boxers, Minato slowly hooked his fingers around the elastic before a blaring alarm rent the air in the chambers.

Surprised, the dead Namikaze looked down at his rapidly fading hands, before smirking at the shocked Kitsune, "It seems like lady luck was on my side after all Kyuubi, I guess you'll have to wait until next time." With one last parting grin filled with mischief and triumph, the Yondaime disappeared from the mindscape, the pile of clothing on the ground following him.

Kyuubi looked into the lifeless and desolate room before frowning slightly at the lucky bastard, her breasts bouncing slightly in their tight confines as she sighed. She was _so _close, only a few more 

seconds more and fate decides to screw her over. Perking up slightly, a grin slowly made its way across her feminine face as her lips parted to reveal a fanged smile, **"Oh well, there's always next time…"**

After all, there was nothing she loved more than a man with power who knew how to use it, and who better to go after than the only _human_ that had ever defeated her? She couldn't wait until he came here again, boy would he be in for a surprise…

**XX OMAKE END XX**

**XX AN XX**

And there you have it… whether you loved it or hated it, tell me how it was.

In case you may be wondering, that Omake was just an easy and fun way to introduce **Kyuubi's sexy human form**.** A link to the picture can be found on my profile! **And although _she_ may seem out of character, I have a very believable explanation for it, probably in the next chapter.

On a different note, my muse vanished without a trace half way through this chapter; you have no idea how hard it was for me to write the moment with Naruto and Hinata walking through the village and then the dinner. I had to rewrite it so many times I lost count.

Some more questions that came up in reviews:

Q – When will Naruto use the Shinigami's chakra again?  
A – This _should_ be obvious but if you haven't figured it out, here's a hint: When does the Shinigami show up again in person…

Q – What happens when Naruto uses too much of the Shinigami's chakra?  
A – Obviously, since the seal is made up of the chakra, the more Naruto uses, the more the seal weakens, and the better chance Kyuubi has of escaping.

Q – Naruto should have more mental scarring.  
A – He does, although I showed it in a roundabout way. Notice when Hinata hugged Naruto in the last chapter and this chapter and how absolutely happy he was? There you go. Nobody should be that happy just to get a hug…

That's about it for this chapter, I'm going to try and keep them all above 15,000 words from now on and I might even go back and rework the first three chapters to make them longer.

Oh, and thank you all for those absolutely wonderful reviews, they were delicious. Sadly, it seems that my insatiable hunger has returned, and I'm afraid that I will once again need to be fed; I hope you people are up to the task. I usually like virgin sacrifices but reviews will do just as well in this case.


	7. Fire And Wind, Tools Of Destruction

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** MatrixExplosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 14,217

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** July 16, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

**Kishimoto stole my idea about taking ambient chakra from your surroundings to use for yourself from my first fic Unbound. Why I should sue him... but i doubt I'd win.**

And here it is, the next chapter of Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch… Now, for a tiny little rant:

**XX RANT XX**

Problem people have: Naruto is too worried about people hating him because he has killed someone, even when it is their job as shinobi to do so.

Okay, this is what I was thinking when I made this an aspect of Naruto's personality. Remember, Naruto has been treated his whole life as a demon, something that has absolutely no worth to anyone and is not wanted by anyone. Although not openly -most of the time-, this is how people have treated him his entire life.

Now, being called a demon, beast, monster, etc for your entire life while being told that you killed so many people, how do you think Naruto would react when he realizes how freaking _easy _it is for him to take another life (even though it is because of his ninja training). Subconsciously, or at least on a deeper lever in his mind, Naruto has begun to believe, at least a little bit, that the villagers were _right_. And so, now he thinks that he is a monster, at least somewhat, he thinks that other people will see him as one too.

There, that is why Naruto was so emotional and melodramatic last chapter. From now on, I'll try to tone it down a bit, but then again, it _is_ my story

**XX RANT END XX**

On a better note, I just realized that I crossed the 50k hits mark!

Here's chapter 07…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 07 - Fire And Wind, Tools Of Destruction**

The sun hung high in the crystal blue sky as Team 8 walked back into Konoha, or at least tried to as they were stopped by the two chuunin guards located on either side of the gate. Being in the lead, Kurenai fished out their mission scroll from one of her numerous pockets and quickly showed it to the two somewhat overly hostile chuunin guards.

Quickly checking over the scroll with a scrutinizing eye, the unremarkable chuunin handed it back to the rookie jounin before allowing the entire team through the main gate while throwing a disdainful look towards the blonde with them.

'_Damned fox...should have just done us all a favour and died on the mission.'_

Watching as the demon lowered his head, the chuunin smirked, only to freeze as killing intent slammed into his senses, adrenaline laced chakra pumping through his veins but the fear keeping his muscles locked in place. Turning his head hesitantly towards the source, the shinobi gulped slightly as the red eyes of Yuuhi Kurenai glared into his own hazel orbs.

"Do you have a problem with one of my students..._chuunin_?" Kurenai asked slightly with piercing red eyes, the icy tone of her voice sending a shiver down the man's spine.

The chuunin only nodded uncertainly in return, stuttering slightly as he spoke to his superior "N-Not at a-all Kurenai-san." He was just a chuunin, a newly promoted one at that, there was _no_ way in hell that he was messing with a jounin, even one as new as Kurenai. They were jounin for a _reason_.

Kurenai smirked in response, stepping away from the cowering man and back to her team including their newest member, "Good" She said lightly, her smile only widening, "Make sure it stays that way."

Walking through the gates and into the streets of Konoha, the group walked for a few minutes in silence before Naruto walked up to stand beside his sensei, "You didn't have to do that Kurenai-sensei, I'm used to it by now." The admission was punctuated by a solemn look, the vibrant blue eyes losing their otherworldly sparkle and shine.

Kurenai frowned at the acceptance in the blonde's voice, but after getting to know the jinchuuriki during the past few days, she knew that this must have been a common occurrence for him. Even now, as they walked through the streets of Konohagakure, she could see and most of all _feel_ the killing intent from the surrounding villagers towards the blonde brat.

"That's the thing Naruto; you _shouldn't_ be used to it. Nobody should have to go through what you do every single day for something you have no control over."

Unbidden, a small smile of gratitude crossed Naruto's face at Kurenai's kind words. She was one of the few regular ninja in the village that actually thought of him as a human, as something other than a demonic force of destruction. Then again, there were those masked ninja that he usually saw around the Hokage. They were always nice to him whenever they would meet.

But thinking back to his temporary sensei's words, a twinge of resentment and anger rose in Naruto as he thought about his real teacher, Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi had been a _student_ of the Yondaime, the same Hokage that sealed the freaking Kyuubi into him. The least the perverted jounin could do was _teach_ him how to protect himself. But no… he wasn't even worth that to the aloof ninja. Instead, the man had chosen to teach Uchiha Sasuke, the prodigy of the Uchiha Clan and last loyal Uchiha…someone that was _worth_ teaching.

Slightly sharp nails dug into the palms of his hands as Naruto curled his fists in anger, his jaw clenching harder and harder the more he thought about being abandoned by his sensei for the Uchiha. Now more than ever, he wished he had Kurenai-sensei as his teacher instead of Kakashi-sensei.

Yuuhi Kurenai couldn't completely repress the grim look on her face as she felt the intoxicating killing intent begin to seep from her temporary student. She didn't know _why_ he would be angry enough to release killing intent, but it had to be something important.

Looking over to the surrounding villagers, Kurenai wasn't surprised to see the wide eyed and fearful gazes of the men and women they passed. What _did_ surprise her though was the fact that the villagers felt the killing intent at all.

Almost all of the villagers of Konoha had experienced killing intent before at one time or another; after all, even the greatest of shinobi and kunoichi couldn't completely stop the Kyuubi's terrorizing aura. But the nine-tailed kitsune has been regarded as fear incarnate, a being capable of levelling mountains, draining entire seas, and inducing fear just by its very presence alone.

This _genin_, a boy barely two months into his shinobi career should _not_ under any circumstance be able to induce potent enough killing intent that had the ability to effect villagers, -people that were _not_ trained to recognize it- _especially_ without the needed eye contact almost every single ninja she knew needed.

Putting it out of her mind for now -after all, after the next few moments, he wouldn't be _her_ student anymore- Kurenai pushed open the door to the Hokage Tower and proceeded up the stairs.

The Sandaime usually spent the mornings handing out missions to genin and their teams, mostly to introduce the newer ninja to their leader so he could get to know them better. When the mission was completed, the team would then go to his office and get their pay stubs, which they could then cash in for money at the receptionists desk.

Reaching the door to the Sandaime's office, the red eyed jounin knocked on it twice before waiting patiently for the commanding voice of their leader telling them to enter.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sarutobi Sasuke sighed as he signed another report, a letter about some collateral damage caused to some apartment building near the edge of the village. It seemed that a practicing ninja in a nearby training ground had lost control of a jutsu, causing it to swerve out of control and hit the nearby building.

Thankfully, it was just a small C-class katon jutsu, **Haisekishou (Burning Ash Cloud)**, a very common technique that most chuunin from Konoha Knew. The user usually blows out a cloud of red hot, although slow moving ash, easily countered by a powerful enough water jutsu.

What did bother him though, was the apartment that the chuunin 'accidently' hit, more specifically, Naruto's. The aged Sandaime knew that it was just another plot to get rid of the boy, but he had no way to prove it and the chuunin's excuse was perfectly valid.

Luckily for Naruto, the chuunin was still new at the technique, and could not make the ash cloud hot enough to cause any significant damage, just a few scorch marks where the jutsu had struck.

'_My poor boy, will you ever get the peace you so rightfully deserve?'_ Sighing solemnly, the Sandaime took off his Hokage hat and put it on his mahogany desk, fishing his pipe out of his pocket before lighting it with a small katon jutsu.

He had tried, truly tried to make the villagers see the boy for who and more importantly _what _he was, a child yearning for love and acceptance, but the foolish men and women just didn't seem to understand. Even the idiotic hope that he had placed in his ninja seemed to be unfound going by their recent actions.

The aged Hokage was broken out of his thoughts as he heard someone knocking on his door. Telling them to enter, he was surprised to see the very boy of his thoughts walk in after his temporary team, although with a surprising and admittedly _attractive_ new addition.

_She_ had raven black hair, dark tresses cascading down to the back of her shoulders like a veil of darkness and her sparkling cobalt eyes, a darker shade than Naruto's incandescent orbs that shone like the midnight stars.

Trailing his eyes down her soft, feminine features and pale, round face along with her moist, pink lips, the Sandaime saw that she was wearing a tight and sleeve-less white shirt with a light purple vest on top, showing just the barest hints of cleavage. Not the light, barely visible lavender of a Hyuuga's eyes, but a richer, creamier purple that was almost pleasing to his old eyes.

Her large and perky _assets_ were prominently displayed because of the tight clothing, bouncing slightly in their stretched confines as she stepped up to stand beside Kurenai. He was surprised to find that she was only a few inches shorter than the jounin.

Looking further down beyond her smooth stomach, a greyish black skirt covered her bottom half, going down to just above her knees before stopping and displaying her smooth and luscious legs to the world.

What his sharp eyes did not fail to notice though, was the barely visible remnants of a bruise around her neck. He resolved to ask Kurenai about it later, for now though, his questions would have to wait. Smiling warmly, the Sandaime addressed the team, "Kurenai, good to see you again. I take it that your mission went well."

"Hai Hokage-sama, thanks to my team, the mission was a complete success." Kurenai said, pride at their accomplishment evident in her soft voice. And why wouldn't she be proud? Her team, barely five months out of the Academy, had already completed a C-ranked mission.

The Sandaime smiled in return. From his perspective, this must have been a big achievement for Kurenai herself too. She was still just a rookie, recently promoted to the ranks of jounin and as such, this was the first genin team she had ever taken. To see her team progressing so fast must mean to her that she was doing a good job in teaching them, guiding them in their path of becoming fine shinobi and kunoichi that would bring pride to Konoha.

The Third smiled happily at this. It always made him happy to see his shinobi, his _children_, return from a mission alive and well, "Congratulation Team 8, you have just completed your first C-rank mission." The three children beamed at the praise given to them by their leader, and the Sandaime just chuckled warmly in return.

But remembering their newest edition, the Hokage quickly gained a more serious demeanor. It was quite…_unorthodox_ to bring somebody back from a mission unless it was a prisoner, and even then it was highly unlikely since most missions that would involve capturing someone would usually involve ANBU and hunter-nin. After all, you could never be too cautious and _anyone_ could be a spy for a rival village.

Clearing his throat to get their attention and putting away his still burning pipe, the Hokage spoke up, "Now, as for your newest addition…" He said, pointing towards the now nervous girl with the end of his pipe, "I assume you have an explanation Kurenai?"

Quickly straightening up at the somewhat serious tone, Kurenai began her explanation. She knew it was _not_ normal procedure for anyone, especially a genin team on a C-rank mission to bring someone back to the village, "I do Hokage-sama. Motoko-san here was rescued by Naruto from the group of mercenaries we were supposed to eliminate who were using her for…_entertainment_, a detail the mission scroll failed to mention." Kurenai said, a slight edge to her voice at the last part, although the Sandaime could tell that her ire was not directed at him. Besides, nobody in this village had the balls to be angry towards him…well…other than Naruto of course.

Returning his gaze to the girl now identified as Motoko, he could see that her head was lowered, almost in shame at what she had been forced to suffer through. He had no illusions about what had happened to her at the hands of the mercenary, having raided enough conglomerations of scum in his lifetime. Truly, this world could be a cruel and cold place for the pure and innocent.

On another note, the missions department seemed to be slacking off; such a crucial detail should not have been missed. He would need to have words with the chuunin running the department later to make sure such a mistake never happened again. Even the slightest amount of misleading information could be the difference between life and death, and for someone who had seen as much death as him, he would do whatever he could to prevent it.

Snapping out of his morbid thoughts, he focused his attention back on the jounin in front of him as Kurenai continued, "Since Motoko didn't have a place to stay, I decided that she could come back to the village and stay here."

The Sandiame looked at the jounin with a blank stare for a few minutes before replying, "And where will Motoko-san be staying?" He asked in a deceptively calm voice.

Kurenai gulped, a sheepish grin booming on her face as she mentally prepared herself, "Umm…I was hoping you would know Hokage-sama…" the red-eyed kunoichi said, causing the Third to sigh tiredly. Why oh why did all of his elite ninja have to be nut cases? Kakashi was a porn loving and lazy scarecrow, Anko was as sadistic and demented as they came, he didn't even _need_ to mention Gai, and now even Kurenai seemed to be taking a turn for the worse.

Seeing as there was nothing he would do about it, Sarutobi Sasuke went with the next best thing, leave it for someone else to take care of and this gave him the perfect chance to get back at Naruto for the **Orioke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)** incident, "Since I am sure Motoko-san has absolutely nothing worth monetary value, I have no choice but to give her an apartment for the time being, and the only available rooms are located in Naruto's complex, more precisely, his floor."

Ignoring the surprised look on Naruto's face and using all of his formidable will power to hold down his smirk, the Sandaime took out a piece of paper and an envelope, quickly scribbling on a few sentences before sealing it in the envelope with the Hokage's official seal.

Making sure the envelope was sealed, the Sandaime threw it towards the blonde along with three different pay stubs, the pieces of paper cutting through the air like a sharp kunai as Naruto reached up and grabbed them, still somewhat surprised at his oji-san's decision, "Give that to the receptionist to get the key for the room Naruto. Now that that's been taken care of, Team 8 is dismissed…Kurenai, please stay behind to further discuss the details of the mission." He could tell just by looking at the raven haired kunoichi that something she had seen on the mission had greatly unnerved her that she wanted to talk to him about, and not a lot of things out there could alarm a jounin.

Nodding her head in acceptance, Kurenai dismissed her team, telling Hinata and Kiba to meet her tomorrow at 8 am at their usual training grounds and that Naruto could go back to his team.

Sarutobi watched as the slouched figure of the boy he thought of his grandson walk out the door, the rest of the team in tow. The boy really hadn't wanted to go back to his regular team but then again, it wasn't something that could be changed.

He had hoped that Kakashi, having been taught by the Yondaime, would see the resemblance between his teacher and Naruto and train the boy into becoming a fine shinobi. But it seemed that the ANBU turned jounin was too wrapped up in his own grief to even consider the possibility. In the end, Kurenai would have been a much better choice for Naruto with Kiba being placed into Team 7 as a replacement. Alas, it was too late to change what had already been set into motion, by his hands no less.

But thinking back on his decision to put the girl -Motoko, he reminded himself absentmindedly- in the same building with Naruto, so far it seemed to be the right one. He had seen the way Motoko had looked at Naruto when he had mentioned that she would be living near him, her eyes filled with barely concealed joy and admiration with a smile on her face.

Not only would it give her a sense of comfort and safety being so close to the very boy that saved her, but it would also give Naruto a much needed friend that actually lived near him. After all, not many people wanted to live on in the same building as the Demon of Konoha. It had gotten bad enough that the entire floor that the jinchuuriki lived on was empty of any other inhabitants and it was only because of his wishes that allowed Naruto to continue living in the apartment, despite the managers wishes.

And above all, this was the perfect way to get back at the blonde brat for each and every headache he had caused him throughout the years, _'Just wait until he see's exactly _where_ Motoko will be living…' _But as much as he would love to take out his crystal ball and see for himself, he had other things to take care of.

Turning his attention back to the patiently waiting jounin, Sarutobi picked up his pipe from on top of his desk and stuffed it full of his chosen opiate before lighting it again with a nameless katon jutsu. Taking a few puffs to sooth his nerves and clasping his hands in front of him in a contemplating manner, the Third Hokage began, "Now I know you will be writing an official report on this mission anyways, it looks like you want to discuss something privately."

Slightly surprised that she had been seen through so easily, but then again, this was the _Hokage_, Kurenai took a deep breath before she began, the sight of those horrifying red eyes coming to the forefront of her mind, "Something happened to Naruto on the mission Hokage-sama; I fear that…the Kyuubi may be influencing Naruto…" Trailing off in the end, Kurenai watched at the Sandaime's eyes widened marginally.

Sarutobi Sasuke straightened at that, giving the jounin his full attention as he heard the kitsune's name. _Anything_ involving the nine-tailed bijuu and the boy he thought of as a grandson was serious in his eyes, not only because it involved his village, but because he truly cared for the boy unlike most of the village, "That is quite disturbing indeed, continue." He really didn't feel that Kurenai needed to know that this was actually the second time Naruto had been influenced by the Kyuubi.

"When we first ambushed the mercenaries, everything was going along fine. Hinata and I were to liberate the captives while Naruto, his **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone),** and Kiba were to go around and eliminate as many mercenaries as they could, along with covering me and Hinata."

"And how did they take to killing on such a large scale?" The Sandiame asked, a tinge of worry masking his voice as he interrupted the jounin. He had seen _a lot_ of genin quit being shinobi because of missions such as this during both his reign as the Sandaime Hokage and as a jounin instructor. Most children could not take the mental strain and guilt of taking so many lives when being raised in such a pacifistic village as Konoha, but he would not trade this peace for the world.

Kurenai smiled, "They took it as well as they could have. Naruto was the most understanding out of all three them, but that's probably because he had already killed on his last mission. Hinata, on the other hand had a small breakdown having never killed before, but she snapped out of it easily enough."

"The only person I _am_ worried about is Kiba. He killed more mercenaries that both Hinata and I, but did not react in any negative way throughout the mission. Even on our journey back to the village, I took his aside and asked him if he was okay, but he reassured me that he was fine."

Humming thoughtfully, Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, a ring of smoke floating away from his nostrils as he exhaled, _'This may present to be a problem… Even Uchiha Itachi felt disgusted when he first killed and I fear that Kiba may be trying too hard to hold his feelings in. Then again, all Inuzuka men are raised to be alpha males, to be the leaders of the pack and the poor boy may not want to burden the rest of the team with his own problems.'_

"You may want to visit the Inuzuka Compound later and inform Tsume-san of Kiba's dilemma later on in the day Kurenai. Such emotions should not be kept inside where they can fester and ultimately destroy a fine shinobi." The Third advised, but both he and Kurenai knew that it was more of a command than a suggestion.

"Hai Hokage-sama, I will make sure I do." Kurenai replied, just as serious and sombre. She had seen enough talent go to waste because of pent up emotions that were allowed to fester until they became the very demons you feared, both figuratively and literally in some cases.

"But back to Naruto and the Kyuubi…" Kurenai continued, "…when Naruto saw the hostage we brought back to Konoha being raped by a mercenary, he just seemed to kind of…snap, I have no better way of describing it. My team and I rushed to the scene as soon as we felt the explosion of killing intent and malicious chakra wash over the field. That's where we saw a _red_-eyed Naruto emerge from the tent with the mercenary already dead at his feet, a hole blown clean through his torso."

"And what did Naruto proceed to do after he saw the three of you?" The Sandaime inquired, grimacing slightly at the brutal way that Naruto had dealt with the mercenary. Even though he knew the Fourth's seal could not fail, if Naruto was to become a danger to the village and its people, he would have to be…_dealt_ with, as much as it would pain him to do so.

Kurenai smiled at this, causing some of his nervousness to abate, "After he saw the three of his, his eyes swirled back into their normal blue tone and he almost seemed sad at what he had done under the influence of the Kyuubi."

Nodding thoughtfully, he decided it was time to dismiss the jounin, he had gotten all the information he needed, "That's good to hear, and do not forget to write the official report. Also, if you are to meet Motoko-san again, please tell her to come and see me as soon as you can. You are dismissed."

Bowing low towards the aged man, Kurenai made her way towards the door, preferring to use the proper way out rather than just using **Shunshin (Body Flicker)** unlike a certain perverted scarecrow when the Sandaime's voice rang out from his desk, "Oh, and Kurenai…"

Turning back around with a curious expression on her face, Kurenai was met with steely brown eyes, not a trace of the previously friendly old man left behind in the frigid orbs, "I don't think I need to mention that all we have discussed about Naruto is to remain a secret. If the villagers were to find out that Naruto was _indeed_ being influenced by the Kyuubi like they feared, the results wouldn't be…pleasant, both for Naruto and for yourself."

Not able to get the words out of her suddenly and painfully dry throat, Kurenai could only shakily nod her head in acceptance and quickly turn around to walk out the door, shutting it behind her before leaning against it as she tried to control her rapidly beating heart.

Kurenai had forgotten how absolutely terrifying it was to be in the presence of the Professor, the man known as the God of Shinobi. All it took was a single look, and she had felt more fear than she ever thought humanly possible. He hadn't even used any freaking killing intent for Kami's sake!

But then again, there was a reason the Sandiame had reigned as Hokage for so long. He was the embodiment of the Will of Fire, a source of power and leadership that the entirety of Konohagakure drew its strength from and unlike the newer generation of shinobi that used killing intent like it was going out of style, Sarutobi _didn't_.

He didn't need fancy tricks to make a shinobi wet his pants just by looking at them. Staring into those frigid brown eyes, just his _presence_ was enough to send most ninja running; there was a reason why he was considered the strongest shinobi in Konoha when there were the likes of Hatake Kakashi to compete against.

Finally regaining her breathing and heart beat under control, Kurenai made her way down the stairs and out of the Hokage Tower, deciding to go to the Inuzuka Compound and get her meeting with Tsume over with as quickly as possible before she went to look for Motoko and inform her of her meeting with the Sandaime. But as she walked down the streets of Konoha, she couldn't help but think of the newest addition to her team that was already leaving them behind.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Both Naruto and Motoko walked leisurely down the streets in silence, having already dropped off Hinata and Kiba a few minutes ago at their separate clan compounds.

Well, it was more like Motoko gazing around in awe, her eyes sparkling in wonder and happiness, having never been to anything even similar to Konoha and Naruto grinning warmly at her side, happy that she was enjoying her time in the village with him.

Finally tired of the easy silence, after all, it wasn't in his nature to be quiet for so long, Naruto figured he might as well ask the girl beside him if she wanted anything to eat. It was almost three o'clock now and they hadn't eaten anything since the morning, "Hey Motoko, you want something to eat? I know this really great ramen place and we haven't really eaten anything since the morning."

Surprised at the sudden question, Motoko brightened up as she nodded happily; it would be nice to eat something other than the rations that the genin team had bought with them, "I'd love to Naruto-sama."

Mentally frowning at the respectful suffix -he _still_ didn't understand _why_ she used it in the first place- but deciding it could wait, Naruto grinned happily at the chance to eat his favourite food, resolving to ask Motoko about her little quirk when he got the chance, "Great! Follow me…"

Ten minutes later found the two sitting down on the stools of Ichiraku Ramen, patiently waiting for Ayame to come from the back and take their orders.

A few seconds later, a slightly tired looking Ayame emerged from the back, lightly wiping her hands on her apron as she looked at her two customers. A bright smile lit up her face as she easily recognized the mop of blonde hair and crystal-like blue eyes, "Naruto-kun! I haven't seen you around for a few days; dad was worried that you had finally given up on ramen."

Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto gave her his best affronted look, even going as far as to hold his hands over his heart in a mockery of a fatal wound, "How could you even think that Ayame-chan! Ramen is the food of the Gods and everyone knows that Ichiraku Ramen is the best place in all of Konoha to get those delicious noodles."

Ayame clasped a hand over her mouth at his theatrics, trying but failing miserably at stifling her cute giggles. There was never a dull moment when Uzumaki Naruto was around. Reining in her laughter, Ayame smiled lightly at the two of them before taking their orders, "Now what will you be having today Naruto-kun?"

"Three bowls of miso ramen to start Ayame-chan." Naruto said, almost drooling at the prospect of tasting the delicious noodles after such a long time.

Not even needing to write down the order, Ayame turned towards the only other customer, a cobalt eyed girl with pale, creamy skin, and flowing black hair, "And for you?"

Having not really had any ramen before, Motoko decided to just take Narutos example and order a bowl of miso ramen, "Just a bowl of miso ramen please."

Nodding appreciatively, Ayame turned back around and started working on the orders, humming to herself as she set the water to boil and turned back around to face her customers, "So Naruto-kun, were you planning on introducing me to your new friend?"

Naruto nodded, grinning sheepishly as he turned towards Motoko, "Ayame-chan, this is Motoko, we met her on my latest mission and she came back with us to live in Konoha."

Getting up from her seat, Motoko stepped away from the counter and bowed towards the brown haired waitress, "It's nice to meet you Ayame-san."

Returning the bow, Ayame replied in kind, a smile on her soft face as she regarded Naruto's newest friend, "The pleasure is all mine Motoko-san."

Straightening up, Ayame took the time to get a good look at Naruto's newest friend. She -which was kind of surprising, at least to her, Naruto seemed to be meeting a lot of new girls that ended up being his friends ever since he had graduated from the Academy- had shoulder length black hair and cobalt blue eyes, a sharp contrast to Naruto's own light cerulean orbs.

She had a tight, light purple vest on with what looked like a white, sleeveless undershirt, allowing her impressive breasts to stretch out against the fabric in an alluring way. To complete the assembly, Motoko wore a light black skirt reaching to just above her knees, leaving her long, flawless and luscious legs bare for the world to see.

Ruthlessly pushing down the small feelings of jealousy at the girl's amazing figure, Ayame gave the pair one last smile and returned to her boiling noodles, starting to cut the vegetables for the broth while keeping her ears open to listen in on the conversation between the two. While her dad would usually mind, he was still feeling under the weather from the cold he had gotten a few days back.

"So Motoko," Naruto began, "Why did you come back to Konoha with us? I mean, not that I'm not happy but you must have _someone_ waiting for you somewhere…" The jinchuuriki said, trailing off in the end as he noticed her now gloomy expression and teary eyes. Maybe that hadn't been the best of things to mention…

Thinking quickly, Naruto started to stutter out an apology, "P-Please don't cry Motoko, I didn't mean to make you sad. You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I'll understand."

But Motoko only shook her head sadly, turning towards the blonde genin with a small, gentle smile on her face as a single tear slid down her pale cheek, "It's okay Naruto-sama…I-I was just thinking about my parents. The truth is, I'm an orphan… I lost my parents a long time ago; I don't even remember them anymore."

'_She…she's just like me…'_ Naruto thought, eyes widening at the thought of someone else out there that had felt the same sadness as him. She had been an orphan since before she could remember; she had felt the same longing for a family to welcome him home that he felt every _single_ night of his lonely life. Sure, Iruka was almost like a father to him, but there would always be a _empty_ and cold feeling in his heart that could never and would never be filled completely…even when he was with the fatherly chuunin.

Pushing down the lump in his suddenly dry throat, Naruto stared down at the table in front of him, trying to find the right words to convey his sorrow before speaking, "Sorry… I didn't mean to bring up bad memories… It's just that I'm an orphan too, so I know how you feel…"

Getting over her surprise about the enigmatic boy also being an orphan, Motoko just smiled a watery grin, easily waving off his concern about her well being, "Don't worry about it Naruto-sama, you were just curious."

"And another thing, why do you keep calling me 'Naruto-sama'? I never did anything to deserve that much respect from you…" Naruto asked quietly. Not that he minded, well actually, he did. It made him feel all weird being called in such a respectful way. Hell, he didn't even call the _Hokage_, the most powerful man in the village with that title and here was a girl he just met using the same reverent and respectful title for him.

Looking towards Motoko, Naruto was surprised when she got an odd glint in her eyes, the same one he had seen from the girls when he walked down the street, but something seemed almost _different_ about it. It looked more…innocent and pure, if he had to give it a name.

"You saved my life Naruto-sama… If it hadn't been for you and your team getting rid of the mercenaries, I would still be there being taken advantage of in every single way possible. And when I ran out of use for them, they would have killed me without a second thought."

Motoko was facing him now, and Naruto couldn't prevent the gasp from escaping his lips as he saw the pure joy and utter honesty shine in her eyes like the morning sun, "Not only did you save me, but you and your team gave me another chance at life by bringing me back here to Konoha, and for that, I will forever be in your debt."

Pushing down his awe at the utter conviction in Motoko's voice, Naruto smiled sadly as he remembered the people of Konoha. If only they would see him like she did, but he knew it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Unlike most people out there, he had worked for every single thing in life, paying for it with sweat and blood and gaining the recognition of the villagers would be no different, even if he had to do it one person at a time.

Lowering his eyes to the table top, Naruto tried valiantly to push down the tears. She may not know it, but she had just become one of his most precious people, just like Hinata. Still looking down, Naruto spoke up in a soft and caring voice, "Thank you Motoko-chan, you have no idea how much that means to me…"

Unbidden, Motoko blushed. Just the way he had said her name had sent a spark of uncontrollable fire coursing through her veins, lighting her body on fire as she valiantly tried to get her blush and feelings under control.

She was broken out of her daze however, as a steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of her by Ayame and three identical ones being placed in front of Naruto, "There you go, enjoy!" Ayame said happily.

Looking up at the smiling face of the girl, Motoko noticed an odd glint in the ramen vendor's eyes, almost as if she knew what she was feeling. Her suspicions were further confirmed as Ayame gave her a small, conspiratorial wink, causing her face to flush a slight pink, not as bad as before but still noticeable.

Naruto, having missed the entirety of the non-verbal exchange between the two girls, picked up a pair of chopsticks from the container next to him and broke them apart with the sharp 'crack' of splitting wood, taking a deep whiff of the steaming broth in front of him before diving in with an excited, "Itadakimasu!"

Finished with her teasing, Ayame walked away from the pair and returned to the kitchen in the back with a small, uncharacteristic smirk on her face. It seemed that life was about to get a whole lot more interesting for her favourite blonde. She had seen the look in Motoko's eyes when she had gazed at Naruto, filled with gratefulness and a sense of belonging, but above all, an immeasurable amount of devotion and just the stirrings of love. She wasn't sure if the raven haired girl herself recognized what she was feeling for the blonde jinchuuriki…

Motoko, on the other hand, just slightly shook her head to get the image of the winking Ayame out of her mind before grabbing her own pair of chopsticks. Following Naruto's example, she easily broke them apart and muttered a subdued, "Itadakimasu," before diving into her meal, albeit with much, _much _more grace and dignity than her partner.

_Six Minutes Later…_

Naruto leaned back, careful not to fall off of his backless seat before releasing a contented sigh. That had _really_ hit the spot after days of eating nothing but rations and the sparse animal whenever they were allowed to hunt.

Looking over to his side, Naruto grinned happily towards Motoko who had been patiently waiting for him to finish, "Ready to go?" The jinchuuriki asked pleasantly. He still had to show Motoko where her…_their_ apartment was, and he wanted to do it before he had to meet up with Jiraiya-sensei for their daily training. He just hoped the pervert wasn't mad at him for leaving on a mission without telling him.

Watching her nod slightly in return, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his trusty Gama-chan, overflowing with bills and whatnot. After all, even though the weekly stipend he got from the Hokage and his genin pay wasn't all that much compared to what children got from their parents, you could save _a lot_ of money over your lifetime when the only places willing to sell you _anything_ in the village was a ramen stand and a small clothing's shop. Even his weapons were provided by the Hokage.

Dropping a few bills and coins including a nice, hefty tip for Ayame, Naruto called out to the seemingly empty stand, "Hey Ayame-chan that was great! Thanks for the ramen, as always…" The blonde genin said seemingly to no one. He wasn't disappointed however, as a few seconds later Ayame emerged from the back, a smile on her face as she regarded their best customer.

"No problem Naruto-kun, it was my pleasure." Taking the bills and coins while pocketing her own tip, Ayame gave the two of them one last smile before bidding them goodbye with a few parting words, "Just remember to come back soon!"

Waving back lightly, both Naruto and Motoko got up from their seats and were about to make their way towards the apartment building when the jinchuuriki suddenly stopped, confusing Motoko.

Turning towards her with a slightly hesitant expression, Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Say, would you mind getting onto my back… I'll be able to get both of us home faster and I don't really feel like going through the crowds…"

Blushing slightly, Motoko quietly voiced her concern, "A-Are you sure… I mean, I don't want to be a burden…"

"Don't worry about that, I just wanna get home before I have to meet up with Jiraiya-sensei…" Turning his back towards the girl, Naruto kneeled slightly to the ground in a semi-squatting position and looked over his shoulder, silently beckoning Motoko to climb on.

Walking towards the crouching blonde, Motoko quietly wrapped her arms around his neck, only to let out a surprised 'eep' as Naruto slowly stood back up, his hands instinctively grabbing onto her thighs to make sure she didn't fall.

It was then that he noticed -rather belatedly- that instead of grabbing onto cloth, he hands instead felt the soft, supple flesh of Motoko, smoother than anything else he had ever laid hands on. Only now remembering that Motoko was wearing a skirt instead of full length pants, Naruto looked over his shoulder slightly to see her flushed face looking off to the side, probably too embarrassed to look at him.

Feeling his own face heat up, Naruto quickly pushed the thoughts into the deepest recesses of his mind as best as he could; of course, the two large and above all _soft _mounds of flesh pressing into his back didn't help the matter.

Crouching lower to the ground and making sure Motoko was comfortable on his back, Naruto leapt into the air, landing on a perpendicular building before bounding across the rooftops, the excited squeals and child-like giggles of Motoko ringing in his ear as the wind whipped passed them, causing Naruto to smile.

He remembered when Kurenai had carried her back to Konoha on her back. Whenever the jounin would jump especially high or go particularly faster, Motoko would let out an excited squeal of happiness, loving every second of their fast mode of travel. After all, even though Kurenai wasn't going nearly as fast as she could, it was still mind-boggling for a normal civilian who could never even _hope_ to go that fast without outside help.

Motoko had finally quieted down on their journey back to Konoha when Kurenai had sent her a withering glare, having finally had enough of the happy girl's shrill squeals and giggles ringing in her ears. Even then, Motoko still had a bright smile on her face throughout their trip.

Reluctantly dragging himself out of the memory, Naruto smirked as he gathered chakra into his legs, strengthening his muscles with the flowing blue energy before taking another leap, eliciting even more exited giggling from the girl on his back but also causing him to wince slightly.

While almost every single ninja out there used chakra to travel long distances and to enhance their muscles to go faster and jump higher, he had to careful about how much he used. After all, he didn't have the best of chakra control and over loading your muscles with chakra could lead to extensive damage. It _had _gotten better now that his chakra control had improved, but Naruto still used the technique carefully, preferring to use his own muscles and stamina to travel.

All too soon they had arrived at the slightly worn looking apartment complex that she was to live in with the unknown Namikaze.

Deftly jumping down in front of the main door with all the grace and agility of a ninja, the enigmatic blonde slowly lowered himself into a crouch as Motoko slowly climbed off of his back and onto her own two feet, albeit a bit shakily at first.

Letting go of Naruto's shoulder, Motoko flashed him a small smile as they proceeded through the door. Ignoring the glare a few people in the lobby shot his way; Naruto walked up to the receptionist at the counter, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the envelop that the Sandaime had given him.

Clearing his throat to get the admittedly pretty woman's attention, Naruto wasn't surprised to see the normally cheerful expression flash into a mask of thinly veiled hatred as she realized exactly _what_ she was dealing with, "What do _you_ want de-…_brat_." She said, quickly covering up her mistake as she realized the demon's company.

Ignoring the slight slip-up, Naruto quietly handed her the letter, a passive look on his usually happy face, "Hokage-sama gave me this letter to give to you Akane-san. He said you would know what to do…"

Taking the envelope from the jinchuuriki, Akane quickly ripped it open with a flick of her sharp nail before reaching in and taking out the small letter.

Quickly reading it over with her sharp, green eyes, a small frown flittered across her face before she seemed to sigh in reluctant acceptance. Even though she didn't want to do this, she couldn't go against a direct order from the Sandaime Hokage himself.

"Just make sure you understand that I'm only doing this because Hokage-sama ordered me to brat." Akane said, her melodic voice filled with contempt. Turning around on her pivoting chair, the black haired beauty quickly snatched a key from the wall behind her before handing it to the blonde.

Naruto took the key without another word as he continued to lead Motoko up the six, short flights of stairs in silence as the elevator seemed to be out of service, only the sounds of rickety boards of wood creaking underneath their combined weight in the air. Even though Motoko desperately wanted to ask her blonde saviour exactly _why_ the receptionist had acted in such a cruel way towards him, she didn't really feel that right now was the right time for it, maybe later when he looked to be calmer.

Looking at the small, metallic key in the palm of his hand, Naruto gazed intently at the three small numbers imprinted on its shiny metal surface, a slightly thoughtful expression on his face as a small, nagging made itself known in the back of his mind, _'667…why the hell does that seem so familiar…'_

He was broken out of his musing however, as a pale and delicate hand gently reached out and grabbed him by his shoulder, halting his steps down the hall. Turning around to face Motoko, Naruto gave her a slightly confused look, "What's wrong Motoko?"

"I think this is the room Naruto-sama." The purple-clad girl said softly, pointing to the door on their left, causing her to let out a giggle at the adorable and sheepish expression on his face.

Looking at the numbers riveted on the door that shone with a metallic sheen under the bright, fluorescent lights, Naruto quickly took the key in his hand before inserting it into the door, only to stop as he realized exactly _why_ the numbers had seemed so familiar before.

Quickly reaching into his pocket once again, the frantic jinchuuriki pulled out another key eerily similar to the one that he had received from the receptionist just a few moments ago and looked at the numbers imprinted on its surface, "I _knew _he was up to something…"

Motoko stood off to the side, confused by her partner's actions, "I-Is something the matter Naruto-sama…?" She didn't know _why _he had suddenly stopped and reached into his pocket before pulling out something that looked eerily like a key but she planned to find out.

Broken from his revere once again, Naruto turned to face Motoko as if suddenly remembering that she was with him. Letting out a strained laugh, Naruto tried to explain himself, "Well… I just realized something… I live right next door to you…" And as if to prove his point, Naruto held up the two keys in his hand, one with the numbers 667 on it, and one with 666 on it, the last one obviously being his.

Looking to the door on her left, Motoko saw the numbers imprinted on the door, causing her to smile, "I guess that means we're neighbours Naruto-sama."

"Huh, I guess it does." Naruto said quietly to himself as he thought of his other neighbours, or rather lack of. Unlike what most people thought, he wasn't nearly as naive as they liked to believe. Sure, in the earlier days of his life he had usually wondered by nobody lived near him, let alone talked to him, but after he had found out about the Kyuubi from that traitor Mizuki, it had all clicked into place.

Maybe _that's_ why the Hokage had put Motoko in a room right beside his own, so he could finally have someone that actually cared for him stay close to him at all times.

However, before he could put anymore thought into the subject, a puff of smoke directly in front of them snapped him out of his thoughts.

To his credit, despite being caught off guard, it didn't take Naruto more than a second to take defensive actions, unlike that embarrassing time on his first C-rank turned A-rank mission when they had been ambushed by the Demon Brothers.

Stepping in front of Motoko, Naruto quickly but gently pushed her behind him and slid a kunai into the palm of his hand from the holster on his leg in one, smooth motion, crouching low to the ground in the Academy taught defensive stance as he waited for the smoke to clear with bated breath.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Kurenai had spent the better part of the last twenty minutes looking for the blonde jinchuuriki and his newly found partner, only to end up with dead end after dead end and wasted time. She had even checked on top of the Hokage Monument since many of the shinobi and kunoichi had seen him on top of the Fourth's head various times throughout their career, but even that had been a fruitless waste of time.

Finally deciding to just wait for him in front of his apartment, the red-eyed jounin had used a quick **Shunshin (Body Flicker) **to appear at his door step; after all, she had been near the blonde's building many times in the past when assigned to protect him.

Patiently waiting for the smoke to clear, Kurenai was thoroughly surprised when she looked through the rapidly thinning cloud to see a defensive Naruto, teeth bared in a feral and dangerous manner as his grip on the kunai tightened, "Whoa! Easy there Naruto, it's just me, Kurenai." Putting her hands up in a submissive gesture, Kurenai stepped out of the remaining shroud of smoke so Naruto could clearly see her.

Watching as Naruto slowly lowered the metal instrument of death, Kurenai let out a sigh of relief. Even though the raven haired rookie knew she shouldn't be surprised by his actions, she still was. After all, while many of the villagers usually attacked Naruto when he was out in the streets, no civilian was devious enough to sneak by the constant ninja patrols that surrounded the building, mostly for Naruto's safety. But that didn't say anything about other shinobi or kunoichi looking for revenge for loved ones killed by the kitsune or the supposed fame for killing the demon.

"Kurenai-sensei? I thought you were with oji-san…" Naruto asked curiously, surprised at her sudden appearance.

"It's just Kurenai now Naruto, I'm not your sensei anymore. And as for why I came here, it's to take Motoko-san back to Hokage-sama; he still has some questions that he needs answered." Smiling slightly at the suffix attached to her name, Kurenai walked up to stand beside the girl.

"Oh…" Sighing forlornly since it couldn't be helped, Naruto just nodded in acceptance. And he had really wanted to spend more time with Motoko, well, at least until he had to leave to go train with the perverted Sannin, _'And speaking of the Sannin, I wonder what he's going to teach me today…'_

As if suddenly having a thought, Naruto took the key in his hand and held it in front of the cobalt-eyed girl, "Here, you might want to take this since I don't know when I'll be back from my training."

Motoko accepted the key with a smile before looking towards the jounin beside her, "Ready to go?" Kurenai asked as Motoko nodded, a slightly tight tone to her voice. She _really_ didn't want to keep the Sandaime waiting, the unrelenting fear he had caused just by looking at her still clear in her mind. Hell, she doubted she'd forget it anytime soon.

A poof of smoke later, both the jounin and Motoko were gone, travelling towards the Sandaime's office at untraceable speeds as Naruto stood there, staring at the spot they had been before shaking himself out of his revere.

Deciding to go and wait for the Sannin at their usual meeting place since he didn't have anything better to do, the blonde Namikaze quickly made his way down the stair and out into the streets below before leaping onto one of the nearby roofs. Travelling by rooftop made going places _so_ much easier, so why not use it every chance he got? Plus, it kept him out of the eyes of the villagers, at least for the most part.

Making his way across the village at speeds unmatchable by the regular villager, Naruto quickly jumped down from the rooftop he was on and continued on foot past his team's regular training ground and towards his own, blissfully unaware of the two, gleaming red eyes with two swirling tomoe in each orb tracking his each and every move.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

'_So the dobe's already back in Konoha huh…'_ The last loyal Uchiha of Konoha thought in slight surprise. He had really thought that the dead-last would take longer than a little under a week to complete a C-rank mission.

Unconsciously, a flare of anger and jealously lit up his soul like the fire's of hell itself as he thought of the Sandaime's decision so long ago, the two tomoe in each Sharingan eye spinning faster and faster in response to its masters fury.

He _still_ couldn't believe that the blonde haired brat had gotten picked over _him_, an Uchiha to go on a mission while he had to stay in this pathetic village to pull weeds and chase after damnable cats. He should have been allowed to go, to gain more power to kill _him_, not a childish genin who foolishly dreamt of one day being the Hokage, as if the dobe could ever even hope to accomplish such a daunting task.

Pushing down his feelings, the Uchiha avenger took a deep breath before donning his usual aloof attitude, the Sharingan slowly receding until nothing but black, bottomless orbs were left in its place. It still took quite a bit of effort to activate and then turn off his coveted bloodline limit, not really used to the large influx of chakra surging towards his eyes.

Gathering chakra to his legs, Sasuke leapt onto a nearby building and made his way towards the Uchiha Compound, a smirk slowly blooming on his face.

Soon, he would show the dead-last exactly who the stronger one was out of the two of them, and with the new training that Kakashi was putting him through every day after their normal team meetings, it was only a matter of time, _'Just you wait dead-last, soon I will show you the true power of an Uchiha and our eyes.'_

Pushing more chakra into his legs, Sasuke put on a burst of speed. After all, Kakashi was waiting for him at the Uchiha Compound and the more time he wasted thinking about the dobe, the less time he would have to devote to training.

A few minutes later, Sasuke landed in front of the gates of the Uchiha Compound, a collection of stone and grass haunted by the souls of his relatives, howling for revenge and justice for their deaths. And he would give them exactly that by killing Itachi, slowly and painfully as he watched the life seep out of his blood-red eyes.

Making his way towards the large Uchiha training grounds, Sasuke saw the lazy one-eyed jounin casually leaning against a wooden post, "So Sasuke, ready to train?"

Smirking slightly, Sasuke just nodded, _'Huh, blunt as ever.'_ Even though the man was one of the most powerful shinobi he knew, his personality was a bit…lacking, but then again, he wasn't exactly a good example of a bubbling personality either.

Stepping away from the post, the elite jounin slid into a loose taijutsu stance bastardized from the many styles he had copied with the Sharingan, only to stop as another thought struck him, "Before we begin, let me see how far you've gotten with the elemental manipulation of your chakra."

While almost every other Uchiha that he had known had an elemental affinity for fire, Kakashi had a serious hunch that that wasn't the case for Sasuke, while who's fire jutsu were no laughing matter, didn't seem all that powerful compared to the likes of Itachi and Fugaku.

Imagine his surprise when he had tested the boy and it turned out that his elemental affinity was lightning of all things. It turns out that while Sasuke _was_ proficient in fire ninjutsu; his affinity was for lightning based ninjutsu. After all, a human can only have one elemental affinity, with the rare exception being shinobi or kunoichi that had an elemental based bloodline like that of Haku's Hyouton or the Shodai's mokuton.

The Uchiha scion's smirk slipped as he reaching into his pocket and pulled out, of all things, a long nail with a length of copper wire coiling around it.

Kakashi looked on with a hidden curiosity as a flash of intense concentration entered Sasuke's midnight black orbs even though his outward expression remained aloof. Reaching into his pocket again, Sasuke pulled out a small piece of iron that Kakashi had given to him a week ago before slowly holding it up to the copper wiring, a small grin bloomed on the prodigy's face when it leapt out of his hand and stuck to the wiring, Kakashi's single eye slowly widening in surprise.

He _really_ hadn't thought that Sasuke would complete the first step of elemental manipulation for lightning chakra so fast -just over a week-, but he wasn't known as the Rookie of the Year and the genius of the Uchiha clan without a reason.

"Good job Sasuke, you've already learnt how to convert your chakra into electricity. I really didn't think you would get it this early on, I guess it's onto the next step, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Now it's time to train." Kakashi said lightly, causing Sasuke's smirk to widen.

Putting the home made electromagnet and piece of iron back into his pocket, Sasuke smoothly slid into the taijutsu style of the Uchiha clan, his blood red Sharingan eyes watching with glee as the elite jounin in front of him vanished into thin air, too fast for all but his bloodline limit to see.

The Uchiha's right arm whipped up to his side in a perfect block, blocking the kick from the jounin, his teeth rattling from the force of the blow even as Kakashi jumped back. It seems that lazy scarecrow wasn't pulling any punches, '_And that's exactly what I need to get stronger faster…'_

Kakashi disappeared from view again and Sasuke simply _smiled_. He could already feel himself growing stronger with each passing day.

Besides, he was worried over that dobe for nothing. He had Sharingan no Kakashi as his sensei, the man known to have copied over one thousand jutsu with his _single_ Sharingan eye and a coveted ninja that held the rank of an S-class shinobi in the bingo books. Naruto couldn't even hope to get personally trained by someone even as half as powerful as the ex-ANBU captain.

Too bad Sasuke had_ yet_ to learn that Irony was a cruel and above all unforgiving mistress.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Jiraiya sighed as his newest student burst forth from the undergrowth surrounding their little clearing. He had already known that Naruto and his temporary team was back in Konoha, after all, he wasn't known as Konoha's top information expert for nothing.

Stepping away from the shade of the tree he was leaning on, the Toad Sannin watched as the blonde Namikaze quickly made his way over to him, "So, back from your mission already gaki? By the way, how did it go?"

"Hey Jiraiya-sense, it was just a simple C-rank; we had to get rid of a mercenary camp near Port City." Naruto said, before realizing that he had never told the toad wielding Sennin he was leaving, "Wait… How did you know about that? I never told you I was going on a mission…" But then again, he _could_ have asked the old man.

Jiraiya just grinned in response; he had seen the attractive new girl that Naruto had been with at the ramen stand, he'd have to remember to ask him about her later, "That's for me to know and for you to wish you knew. Now hurry up and get over here, I want to get today's training started so I can go and get some 'research' done before the days over." Reaching into one of his many pockets of his kabuki styled clothing, the old Sannin pulled out an ordinary and rectangular piece of paper before handing it to the confused genin.

"So what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" It _looked_ like an ordinary piece of paper, but then again, if Jiraiya had given it to him, it must be something important. Watching as the toad hermit sighed in reluctance before pulling out his own piece, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and above all awe as it crumbled into dust a second later in the Sannin's hands.

"Now listen carefully brat because I'm only going to explain this once." Jiraiya said, his happy demeanor disappearing as he adopted a more serious expression. Learning to control one's elemental affinity was hard and dangerous work, he had to make sure that Naruto understood that.

Hearing the serious and grave tone in the older shinobi's voice, Naruto did the smart thing for once and took a seat on the soft and grassy ground, looking up expectantly at the Sannin.

"There are five main natures of chakra in this world, fire, wind, lightning, water, and earth. While any accomplished ninja can use all elements to some extent, everyone's chakra leans towards one and _only_ one of these elements, and before you ask, mine is doton." Jiraiya began.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "You may be asking why this is important, well, I'll tell you. Whichever nature your chakra turns out to be, those are the types of ninjutsu that will be easiest for you to learn. For example, my chakra affinity is doton, so it's easier for me to learn doton type ninjutsu than katon type. Adding to that, the jutsu that correspond with your elemental affinity will take less chakra and control to use."

"But how do I know what nature my chakra is?" Naruto asked, a curious expression on his face. While all of it _did _sound interesting, he really didn't see a need to learn it. He was perfectly fine with his **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)**. But then again, seeing all the destruction that Sasuke could cause with those fire jutsu of his, maybe he _should_ learn it after all.

"I was getting to that brat! Don't interrupt me. Now, as I was saying, to find out your elemental affinity, just channel some of your chakra into the piece of paper I gave you. And before you ask how that's possible, it's a kind of paper that easily reacts to chakra because the tree it's been made from has been fed and raised with chakra its entire life."

Listening intently to his sensei's instructions, Naruto channelled some chakra into the plain piece of paper, giving it a light blue sheen with just the barest hints of a crimson gleam before it split straight down the middle before both pieces exploded into a conflagration of smoke and crimson fire, "Umm, so what does that mean?" The blue-eyed genin said, eying the two pieces warily before handing the two lightly smouldering pieces of paper to the gaping Sannin.

Taking the two pieces of paper from the genin, Jiraiya quickly reigned in his surprise at the fact that Naruto had _two _elemental affinities and that one of them was fuuton of all things; it was more of an affinity for the shinobi and kunoichi of Suna.

He only knew of one other person in Konoha that had the same affinity and that was Sarutobi Asuma, the Sandaime's son, "That means that you're elemental affinities are wind and fire meaning that you should focus on fuuton and katon ninjutsu. As for what the other elements would have done, for fire, the piece of paper burns as you just saw, for wind, it gets sliced in half like yours, for lightning it crumples, for water it gets wet, and for earth, like mine, it crumbles away."

Looking closer at the split edges that had remained unharmed by the blazing heat, Jiraiya's eyes widened yet again. It seemed that the boy was just _full_ of surprises, _'Hehe, just like his old man.'_

What most shinobi _didn't _know was that even _if_ you had an elemental affinity, or two as in Naruto's case, the _strength_ of the affinity could also be different and another thing these specially made pieces of paper could tell you.

For example, if you wanted to know the _strength_ of how strongly your chakra was related to the fire nature, the particular shinobi would need to pay attention to the intensity and heat of the flames. The hotter and more intense the fire, the stronger the affinity the shinobi had for katon and vice versa.

For fuuton, one had to have an especially keen eye for detail, and it was at times like this that he envied the cursed Sharingan and the perfect vision it granted, if even slightly. The strength of a person's affinity for wind depended on how _cleanly_ the paper had been cut. If the sides were ragged and rough, that meant that the ninja's affinity wasn't all that strong and not really worth developing. _But_, if the sides were extremely smooth and especially sharp, such as in Naruto's case it seemed, it meant that the shinobi or kunoichi had a _very_ strong affinity for fuuton ninjutsu that would definitely give them an edge over other ninja.

What was slightly disturbing to Jiraiya though, was that Naruto had two elemental affinities. Sure, shinobi and kunoichi _could_ have more than one affinity, but that was only when he or she had a specific bloodline limit that dealt with the fusing of different elements, leading a whole other type of sub-element. A prime example was the Shodai who could combine water and earth natured chakra to create mokuton or wood style ninjutsu.

'_The only other reason I can think of for Naruto having two affinities is the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, the only known bijuu to have the innate ability that gave it complete control over fire.' _One of the many reasons the kitsune was feared by all was not only because of its potentially limitless chakra capacity, but also because it was the only known entity to have absolute control over fire, no matter the form.

But over and above that, this could lead to some _interesting_ and above all useful new developments; if his hunch was right that is. It wouldn't _quite_ be a bloodline limit, but if Naruto could get what he was planning right, it would be as close to one as it could possibly be.

"Wait, I though you said a regular ninja can only have one elemental affinity, then how come I have two. I don't have a bloodline limit; at least I don't think so."

"I thought you would have been able to figure it out brat. It's obviously because of the Kyuubi." The slightly disappointed look Jiraiya sent him hurt a lot more then he thought it would, but he easily brushed it off, used to such looks from Kakashi even if the man tried to hide them most of the time.

"So what do we do now that we know my elemental affinities?" Naruto piped up, breaking his sensei from his thoughts. He didn't know why, but the old man seemed to be zoning out a lot when he was around him, _'Must be because the pervert's getting old.'_ His mental self added, causing him to snicker quietly.

"Before I really begin to teach you how to manipulate your chakra into the two elements, I first want you to get used to using ninjutsu from those same elements." Perking up at the thought of learning new techniques, Naruto watched on as the Sannin reaching into his clothing and pulled out two scrolls, one with the kanji for 'wind' on it, and one imprinted with the kanji for 'fire'.

Eyes widening as a thought struck him, Naruto hesitantly reached out and grabbed the two offered scrolls. If these were what he thought they were… and his suspicions were proven correct when the Sannin got to explaining them.

"I wasn't really planning on giving you _two_ scrolls since most ninja only have one elemental affinity… Nevertheless, I want you to practice the three low-level ninjutsu on each scroll before I actually begin teaching you how to manipulate your chakra into its separate elements. This will give you a chance to not only get a _feel_ for how wind and fire natured chakra acts, but it will also give you a few techniques that you can use since I'm sure Kakashi's not doing all he can to help you."

Naruto just nodded solemnly at the last part, reminded yet again of how his sensei thought of him, "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei hasn't really taught me all that much other than the tree climbing exercise."

He was surprised however, when a large and tanned hand landed on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. Looking up in surprise, he saw the smiling face of Jiraiya hovering above him and a small part of him ironically realized that the look in the man's eyes was eerily similar to one he had seen in a proud father's, "Don't worry about that lazy bum Naruto; he doesn't know what he's missing by deciding to teach the Uchiha."

Naruto smiled as he realized what the Sannin was implying in his own special way. And that was that he didn't have to feel downtrodden about not gaining Kakashi's favour over Sasuke because all that mattered was that he got _his_, "Thank you Jiraiya-sensei…for everything."

Simply smiling in return, Jiraiya lightly ruffled Naruto's hair, causing the young genin to frown before a small smile graced his lips, "Well brat, I guess that's all the time I have for today. Remember to meet me here again tomorrow and I'll see how far you've gotten with the techniques."

He wasn't worried about Naruto hurting himself with the techniques in the scroll he had given him; after all, they were all mid to high C-rank ninjutsu only a single low B-rank but just in case, he decided to give the boy one final warning, "Just be careful brat, wind natured chakra is the most destructive of _all_ the elements out there, it is almost a purely offensive element with very little defensive use."

And with one final wave towards the blonde, Jiraiya vanished in a muffled poof of smoke, moving towards the bathhouses at untraceable speeds as Naruto looked on.

"I guess I better start practicing…" Idly walking into the middle of the clearing Naruto plopped himself onto the ground and opened up the scroll for fuuton jutsu.

There were a total of three jutsu on the scroll, two high C-ranks and one a low B-rank, all of them designed to be used offensively.

As much as he wanted to learn the B-ranked one, Naruto knew that he should start off small. So reluctantly furling up the scroll until only the first one was visible, the blonde jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune began reading.

"**Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)**, a mid C-rank offensive technique. Upon completing the four required hand seals, the user thrusts his hand forwards and expels chakra through the tenketsu, causing an explosive release of chakra-laden air… Sounds easy enough, let's try it out."

Getting up from his spot on the soft and lush ground, Naruto walked towards the edge of the clearing and turned to face a large collection of trees. Taking a few more minutes to go over the four required hand seals, Naruto took a deep breath before beginning.

Rushing through the four hand seals while channelling the amount of chakra he wanted to dump into the technique, Naruto thrust his hands in front of him while expelling the pent up energy, "**Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)**."

Naruto looked on, almost as if it was happening in slow motion as an explosion of air burst forth from his hands, a veritable wall of chakra and air, only for him to fly off of his feet like a bullet a second later, the world resuming its normal speed as his back hit a large redwood with a sharp 'crack'.

Losing his focus because of the sharp pain in his back, Naruto stopped channelling his chakra and slid down the trunk, the opposing force of the volatile air that kept him rooted to the spot dissipating instantly.

"Ugh, what the fuck was that?" Groaning in pain as he tried to sit up, Naruto tried to think of anything that could have caused his sudden flight before remembering something that Iruka had once been teaching in the Academy as he recalled the confusing words.

"Every action in this world creates an opposite and opposing reaction, no matter how big or how small. This is also true for any and all ninjutsu techniques, particularly ones that create an explosive force." So _that's_ what that meant, because the fuuton jutsu was going forward so fast, it pushed him _backwards _with the same amount of force…

"But how the hell can I keep that from happening every time I use the jutsu… It's not like I can stick to the grou-" Abruptly cutting himself off in the end, the blonde demon vessel's face lit up in surprise as he realized that he could do exactly that thanks to the tree climbing exercise.

Having found the solution to his problem, Naruto tried to get up only to groan in pain as a spasm of pain shot through his back, "Maybe I'll just lie here for a few minutes…."

As the blue-eyed genin lay there on the ground, silently gazing up at the cobalt coloured sky as he tried to regain his breath, Naruto's thoughts idly drifted towards Motoko and her surprising meeting with the Hokage, _'I wonder what oji-san wanted to talk to her about…'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" Motoko stood there, nervously twisting her hands together behind her back in an effort to soothe her nerves. She didn't know what possible reason the Sandaime could have to call her back, alone of all things. Kurenai-san had left here sitting in the waiting room as soon as they had arrived, and Hokage-sama had just called her in.

Sarutobi Sasuke smiled, his withered old face wrinkling in amusement as he noticed the girl's obvious uneasiness at the situation, "No need to be nervous Motoko-san, I just called you here to acquire some information if you are to become a permanent citizen of Konoha, assuming that you wish to of course. Now if you could please take a seat, I will try to make this as fast as possible."

Taking the Sandaime's advice, not like she could actually refuse even if she wanted to, Motoko hesitantly took a seat on the plush leather chair in front of his desk, "Hai Hokage-sama, I would like to become a citizen of Konoha."

Reaching over to one of the small piles of paper on his desk, the wizened old leader pulled out a white form-like sheet before sliding it over to the curious girl in front of him, "Just fill that in and your registration will be complete, although it will take a few days to process the request."

Accepting the offered pen, Motoko began filling in the sheet, only the sounds of pen scribbling against paper floating through the air endlessly. A few more minutes passed in silence, the Sandaime patiently waiting for her to finish, before Motoko gently put the pen down and pushed the completed form back towards the Hokage.

"Now let's see what we have here. Full name is Aoyama Motoko…16 years old and born on July 22, 1991." Looking up in surprise, Sarutobi gazed intently at her face, trying to see if she was lying. She certainly didn't look like a sixteen year old, but then again, some people mature faster than others.

Continuing down the form with his sharp, brown eyes, the Third Hokage gave it one final glance to see that everything seemed in order before putting it in on top of another pile, "Everything seems in order, congratulations Aoyama Motoko; you have just become a citizen of Konohagakure."

Motoko simply smiled back, glad that she could stay with Naruto-kun for as long as she wanted to. Getting up from her seat, the cobalt-eyed teenager gave one final bow towards the leader of the strongest of the elemental villages before walking out the door, her thoughts on the blue-eyed wonder that had saved her life.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

'_I'm sure it's nothing important…'_ Having regained his strength and the pain in his back nothing but a dull throbbing memory, Naruto quickly pushed himself back to his feet and started channelling the amount of chakra he was going to throw into the jutsu.

Pushing chakra down to the soles of his feet, the blonde jinchuuriki rushed through the four needed hand seals all but memorized by now before thrusting his hands towards the trees, a subdued shout escaping from his lips, "**Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)**."

Wind burst forth from his outstretched palms, an explosion of wind and chakra coalesced into a flow of divine judgement, seeking to topple all those that opposed its creator.

A second later, the blast of hurricane winds slammed into the tree line, the trees swaying back dangerously before a series of sharp cracks echoed over the roar of the wind, the smaller and less sturdy redwoods breaking under the pressure before being swept away in the typhoon-like winds.

Naught but a few seconds later did the gale force winds die down, leaving a scene of chaos and destruction in their wake and a gaping Naruto viewing the scene with surprise and awe.

"Whoa…" Maybe there _was_ something to all this talk about elemental affinity, but before he could go onto the next technique -because he really didn't need to practice **Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)** anymore- Naruto decided to think about why the scroll's had been given to him in the first place and reflect on how it _felt_.

It was almost…calming, in a cool and calming way. When he had felt the wind natured chakra flow through his body, it had felt like a comforting breeze, easing his muscles and mind yet at the same time invigorating them.

But on the other hand, it felt completely uncontainable, just the barest hints of control kept the entire technique from destroying him and everyone he cared about. The young Namikaze only now truly understood what Jiraiya had meant when he warned him about the dangers yet it was _exactly_ what he needed.

'_Hehe, just you wait Sasuke, we'll see just who the strongest one is.' _And with his self promised goal, Naruto renewed his training with vigour. After all, what kind of a Hokage would he be if he couldn't even beat his rival?

**XX AN XX**

…**Is it just me or does it look like the quality of my writing is going down…**

And there you have it. Loved it or hated it, tell me what you thought in a nice and meaningful **review**

But as some of you may have guessed, yes Motoko is based off of Tokiha Mai from My-HiME. The only difference is that Motoko has cobalt eyes, silky black hair and a light purple vest instead of purple eyes, orange hair and an orange vest like Mai.

Now for the questions that came up this time about the last chapter:

Q – Will this be a harem?  
A – Definitely no. It will be a Naruto/Hinata/Motoko, and I'm not really all that sure about the last one.

Q – Is there a reason that the woman that was raped in front of the five year old Naruto look like Sakura?  
A – Of course there is...you'll just have to read and find out.

Q – When will Naruto learn the Kage Bunshin trick?  
A – He will remember it eventually, but probably during the time between the preliminaries and the chuunin exam finals when they get to train for a month… So around three to four more chapters.

Q – When will Naruto start learning nature manipulation?  
A – There you go…

Q – NarutoxMotoko?  
A – Firstly, _a lot_ of people got upset about this for some reason, but I _never_ said anything about Naruto getting both Hinata _and_ Motoko (even though it is pretty obvious) but yes, Motoko will be Naruto's Haku.

Q – Is this going to be a Minato/Kyuubi fic?  
A – Nope, although Kyuubi will be one hell of a teasing bitch (and it _will_ be explained why this change occurred when 'she' is in _human_ form). Minato is only attracted to her because of her body, nothing more, nothing less.

Q – Man chasing after Hinata?  
A – cough**Kiba/Sasuke**cough

Q – Too much fluff/melodrama and Team 8 too shocked about Naruto killing?  
A – Hehe, I guess I did go a bit overboard with the fluff and drama but as for Team 8 being too shocked. Remember, this is _NARUTO_ that killed before anyone else, the orange wearing, childish, and complete opposite of what a ninja (ie: killing machine) is supposed to be Naruto.

Q – Kakashi not told off by Sandaime/Jiraiya?  
A – Oh it will happen all right, but during the final parts of the chuunin exam (hint hint: When Kakashi abandons Naruto to teach Sasuke).

Q – Are there any other side-effects to the Shinigami's chakra?  
A – Almost all of the abilities and side-effects of the Shinigami's chakra will be explained after the Chuunin Exams.

Hehe, quite a few questions from the last chapter, anyways hope that helps answer some of them.

Any who, the chuunin exam will begin next chapter and will probably be longer than this one, this was mostly to introduce Motoko and get Naruto's training started, as well as give Sasuke some screen time…

Now that that's all over, tell me what you thought and above all **review your hearts out because I think mine is dying of shock and I need a new one since i only got 37 reviews for the last chapter**. I know this chapter wasn't as long as the last two but I thought this was a good place to cut off.

Ja Ne!


	8. Trials Of The Leaf

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** MatrixExplosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata x Motoko

**Word Count:** 31,246

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** August 17, 2008

**Date Revised:** August 21, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
_'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'_**

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

**!!WARNING: INCLUDES MATURE LEMON!!**

**!!CHECK OUT IMPORTANT POLL ON PROFILE!!**

And here it is, the latest instalment of Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch after _exactly_ one month.

Anyways, it's the** beginning **of the chuunin exams, and things will finally start to really pick up, As a note, a lot of new and unseen things will happen, mostly during the preliminaries, the finals and the subsequent war. And as a final note, it will be **Naruto x Hinata x Motoko **–although it _can _change sometime in the future-, but it will be as _realistic_ as I can make it.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM and I will reply as fast as I can, usually the same day. But anyways, on with the story:

Here's chapter 08…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 08 - Trials Of The Leaf**

"**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)**." An explosion of chakra laden fire erupted from Naruto's mouth, coalescing into a large fireball not unlike a miniature sun before hurtling itself towards the single tree off in the distance.

In a brilliant flash of blinding light, the fireball exploded on contact, incinerating the tree and scorching the ground a seared black. Taking his hand away from his mouth, Naruto turned to face his passive teacher, a prideful grin on his whiskered face.

"So Jiraiya-sensei…how was that?" Giddy with excitement, Naruto patiently waited for the answer. He was sure his sensei was going to be happy, after all, that fireball was even bigger than the one Sasuke had used against Kakashi during the bell test.

About a month and a half had passed since the blonde jinchuuriki had first gotten the two scrolls complete with six new jutsu, and he wanted his sensei to see that he had completely learnt the six ninjutsu. Plus, the toad Sannin had said he would teach him something new after he had mastered them.

"Not bad brat, not bad at all." Jiraiya complimented after a moment of silence, causing Naruto's grin to widen, "You still haven't mastered any of them, but that's damn good for just a month and a half of training." Naruto really _had_ come far, no matter what else that of him.

In just the space of a month, the jinchuuriki had learnt five low level ninjutsu and one mid level fuuton jutsu, and while he hadn't really mastered their uses, he was well on his way. Granted, they didn't need the user to actively convert the nature of their chakra since the hand seals took care of it, it was still pretty impressive.

On top of that, Naruto's chakra control had improved even further thanks to the chaotic and uncontrollable nature of fire chakra. Since it was the second hardest element to control -the first being ration natured chakra- out there, the blue-eyed genin had to work extremely hard to direct the frenzied chakra to do what he wanted it too. Mind you, it wasn't all that great, but it was still nothing to sneeze at when you thought of how absolutely huge his chakra reserves were.

Naruto simply smiled at the praise. While to others it wouldn't be that big of a deal, it was infinitely more than what Kakashi-sensei had ever given to him during their time together, "Thank you sensei… So what was the thing you were saying you were going to teach me?"

Jiraiya grinned in response, almost as excited as the genin about his theoretical idea concerning Naruto's dual elemental affinity. He had done some research into the subject over the last month but he still didn't know if it would actually work, although there was nothing stopping it.

The main problem was that he himself couldn't try out the idea because he didn't have two elemental affinities and there had never been any records of this ever being attempted before in the Hokage's archive.

Then again, Jiraiya hadn't gotten this far in such a demanding and dangerous life by thinking before acting; he was more of the think the first step and improvise the rest of the way type of guy anyways.

"Now listen carefully brat as I explain. I don't really know if this will work since this is the first time in my life I've heard of anyone try and do what I'm about to teach you, but it should since there's nothing logical stopping it."

Easily noticing the growing excitement in Naruto, Jiraiya decided to give the boy one last piece of incentive that was bound to motivate him, "Although if this _does_ work, you will have your very own quasi bloodline limit."

"You are the _first_ person that I know of that has two elemental affinities without having a elemental bloodline limit, and those that do have one usually use it to combine their two elements into a brand new one. Thankfully, it just so happens that you have fire and wind."

"What does that have to do with making your own bloodline limit?" Jiraiya gawked at the question from the blonde genin. Didn't they teach anything to these kids at the Academy? He was sure that the elemental wheel was at least touched upon.

"What did they teach you at the Academy gaki?" Jiraiya began, only to pause in his reprimand as he noticed the downcast expression on Naruto's face. It was then that he remembered, quite embarrassedly, about the boy's treatment from his various teachers during his time in the Academy.

"Umm, forget I ever said anything, I'll show you instead." Reaching into his clothing, the self proclaimed super pervert pulled out a simple scroll before channelling some chakra and unsealing an ink pot, a brush, and another blank scroll.

Drawing the kanji for the five basic elements on the scroll with quick, precise strokes, Jiraiya connected them with arrows before pointing towards the kanji for fire, "Each and every element has two other elements that it is related to, one that is superior to it and one that is inferior to it. For example, take the fire element; it is _superior_ to wind natured chakra, but _inferior_ to water natured chakra."

"But why, shouldn't it depend on the amount of chakra the jutsu has?" Naruto mumbled out, a slightly confused expression on his face.

"Fire _feeds_ off of oxygen, the more you give it, the stronger it will get but water on the other hand smothers it out. Meaning, it you clash a katon jutsu of the same level with a fuuton jutsu of the same level, the katon jutsu will always win and come back as an even stronger technique. And while your reason also makes sense, it takes a very, _very_ large difference in the amount of chakra for a fuuton jutsu to beat a katon jutsu."

Jiraiya smiled slightly as comprehension slowly dawned on Naruto's face, "Oh I get it! So if I use my wind jutsu against Sasuke's fire jutsu, his will beat mine unless I put a _lot_ more chakra into mine then his." His grin slightly faltered however as Naruto realized it _still_ didn't explain how he could make his own bloodline limit, "But that still doesn't explain how I can make my own bloodline limit."

Sighing slightly in acceptance, Jiraiya began explaining. Although the brat _was_ extremely talented in picking up jutsu and anything battle related like no ones business, he was still slightly slow on picking up simple concepts and ideas that most people would understand right away, "Didn't you listen to what I said brat? Think of it like this, what would happen if you used _both_ a fire jutsu and then a _wind_ jutsu at the same time? What would happen to the katon jutsu?"

"Easy, it'll grow…stronger…holy shit…" Naruto said, trailing off in the end as he truly understood what the Sannin was implying.

"Exactly, while you may not be creating a brand new element, you _will_ be creating a katon jutsu infinitely stronger than somebody else using the exact same technique since the fuuton jutsu will feed the flames, making them bigger, stronger, and a hell of a lot more powerful." Jiraiya exclaimed, grinning like a mad man.

"Show me how to do it. I don't care how hard it is or how long it takes, I want to learn it." Naruto had finally found his voice after fully realizing what this could mean, and he didn't want to waste any time. Hell, he was absolutely sure that the teme had nothing even close to as powerful as what he was about to learn.

"Easy brat, it's not as easy as you make it sound. Remember, _nobody _else in Konoha has ever accomplished this, so you will be all on your own, but enough talking, let's get down to it." Wrapping up the scroll that had the elemental wheel on it, Jiraiya quickly hid it back in his clothing before leading Naruto to a more secluded area of the clearing.

"First, you have to create a **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)**, but make sure you give it enough chakra to perform jutsu."

Reigning in his excitement, Naruto put his hands into the familiar cross shaped seal and began to channel his chakra to create the clone, but forgot the little bit of information that his chakra control was a great deal better than it was before.

Jiraiya watched on from the side, a patient look on his face before it was completely overtaken by a surprised expression as an aura of blue surrounded the boy, twisting and writhing like a living flame, "Hey Naruto, stop channelling your chakra damn it!"

Surprised at the sudden yell, Naruto quickly stopped channelling his chakra, more from instinct than anything else as the fire-like blue aura composed of semi-translucent chakra quickly began dying down, "What's the matter, I just did what you told me too!"

"I told you to make a **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)** with enough chakra to perform jutsu, not enough energy to freaking blow up half of Konoha!" While he was slightly angry, it was nothing compared how absolutely surprised he was. He knew that Naruto had a lot of chakra, but he also never truly understood the implications of his own words. The boy had channelled more chakra than even _he_ had and he didn't even look winded!

While before Naruto's massive chakra reserves were offset by his completely horrendous chakra control which by proxy led to a massive amount of wasted chakra whenever he used a jutsu, now that his chakra control was infinitely better, it also meant that he didn't waste _nearly_ as much chakra as before.

"You don't have your atrocious chakra control anymore gaki, its way better than what it used to be like and that means that you should be able to control you chakra a lot better. Before you used to just dump a lot of energy into any jutsu and most of it just bled off, but now, all the chakra that you channel _will_ be used for the technique, so be careful on how much you put into anything."

Nodding in acceptance, Naruto channelled some of his chakra once again, making sure to only use the amount he would most likely need, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)**."

With a poof of hazy white smoke, an exact replica of the genin popped into existence beside the pair.

Completing the simple task, Naruto turned his attention back to the Sannin, "Now what do I do?"

"Now while _you_ do the **Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)**, have your clone do the **Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough) **and aim it at the fire technique. Although make sure you tell it to wait for a second or two so your fire jutsu can have enough time to fully form." Jiraiya instructed, taking a few steps away from the two identical genin. While he knew that Naruto could bounce back from almost any injury thanks to the Kyuubi, he didn't have that luxury and he would rather not risk his life.

"Alright, let's do it!" Giving the chakra imbued clone the commands, Naruto quickly ran through the five needed hand seals and ended in the tiger seal. Feeling the slightly warm sensation accompanied by the build up of fire natured chakra in his lungs, the blonde Namikaze took a deep breath before breathing out the chakra laden air which ignited on contact with oxygen.

Off to the side, the clone ran through the four needed hand seals for his own jutsu before thrusting his hands forwards, an explosion of tempestuous wind exploded forth from the its hands and quickly taking over the fire technique. Huh, it looked like wind was faster than fire…

All three of the shinobi watched on with bated breath, anticipation swimming through their veins as they watched on as the wind jutsu slammed into the orange-red ball of fire. For a second or two, both Naruto and Jiraiya grinned as it looked like it was going to work, only for the toad Sannin to jump back a second later as his highly developed senses picked up on danger.

What either him or Naruto _didn't_ expect though was for the raging katon jutsu to exponentially expand in size in the blink of an eye, the flames turning a light neon blue before exploding in a ball of scorching heat and blinding light.

The explosive outburst of super heated air instantly dispelled the clone while throwing Naruto off of his feet and into the air, only for him to hit the ground a few meters away as gravity began to work and roll to a complete stop.

Jiraiya was at his side in an instant, luckily having escaped the blast zone thanks to his instincts honed by years of S-ranked mission. Quickly yet carefully flipping Naruto over, the toad Sannin let out a sigh of relief as the genin let out a groan of pain, at least the boy was conscious.

Letting Naruto -who was dazedly opening his eyes- rest on his arm, Jiraiya checked over the injuries. His black shirt had been burnt to tatters; only the area near the collar and shoulders being left in relatively good condition and his pants weren't faring much better. Too bad Naruto hadn't been wearing his vest at the time, which would have easily absorbed at least the brunt of the damage.

At least the blonde jinchuuriki's torso looked to be in reasonably good conditions. There were small cuts and bruises lining his arms, stomach and chest area, probably from the shrapnel the explosion caused but the most surprising thing was that there were no burn related injuries anywhere on the blonde's body.

Looking closer, Jiraiya noted that even the cuts and bruises were quickly fading and healing, "Huh, so I guess the Kyuubi's presence within his body makes him resistant to any fire related damage whatsoever."

He was snapped out of his inspection of the wonders of Kyuubi as Naruto slightly shook his head before speaking up, "Holy shit, what the hell just happened." Pushing himself up off of the ground, Naruto looked in the direction of where the two jutsu exploded.

The entire area looked like a shallow crater, any and all vegetation in the area having been vaporized by the heat from the fire ball. Idly curious at the lack of pain which _should_ have been caused by being so close to the epicentre, Naruto looked down at his body, only to raise his eyebrows in surprise as perfectly unmarred and healthy skin greeted his eyes.

"How are you feeling brat?" Jiraiya questioned from the side, a laid-back quality to his voice, but Naruto could easily see the veiled concern dancing in the pervert's eyes.

"I feel fine, which is kinda weird because shouldn't I be injured from the explosion. I mean, I know I heal fast because of…_it_, but there should at least be some burns…"

"You have the Kyuubi to thank for that." Seeing the confused look on the blonde's face, Jiraiya decided to elaborate, "You were completely unharmed by the heat of the explosion, the only injuries you did have were cuts and bruises caused by the shrapnel and the fall. Luckily for you, it looks like having the Kyuubi inside of you makes you fire-proof."

Well _that_ was unexpected but he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, too bad his clothing hadn't survived the chaos. Turning his attention back to the Sannin beside him, an angry expression flashed across his face as he remembered the results of their little 'experiment', "I thought you said it would work Ero-sennin! Not blow me half way across the clearing." Despite what many people may think about his Kyuubi induced healing, it only healed damage, not the pain _caused_ by the damage and that fall had freaking _hurt_.

Gaping slightly at the sudden and unexpected new nickname, Jiraiya quickly mumbled out an explanation, "Well…it's like this… While it _should_ have worked, I think that the problem was that you didn't use the exact same amount of chakra for both techniques. Because the katon jutsu had more chakra, the flames were hotter and they ate up the oxygen from the weaker fuuton jutsu at a faster rate, causing it to _look_ like it exploded outwards from the sudden increase in size due to the available 'fuel'."

The only reason Jiraiya knew this was because he had sensed a rapid increase of chakra in the gleaming ball of fire thanks to his highly honed senses, right before it seemed to explode that is.

This could only mean that the katon jutsu had absorbed the fuuton jutsu too rapidly, causing a massive increase in available oxygen which then led to the fire ball rapidly expanding in both size and temperature, that would explain the sudden shift of the flames from orange-red to a neon blue color.

And while it may have _looked_ like the technique had exploded, it had actually consumed itself at an astronomical rate, super heating the air around which then led to the explosive effect, plus the fact that the fire ball seemed to explode didn't help the matter.

"I guess that makes sense…" Naruto conceded, his anger dying down until only lightly burning embers remained. Looking back at his sensei -who seemed to be looking up at a bird with a curious and slightly surprised expression on his face- the shirtless blonde loudly cleared his throat to get his attention, "So do you want to me to try it again?"

Returning his attention to the shirtless genin, Jiraiya only shook his head in response, "No, that's enough for today. Besides, it's almost 7 o'clock and you should get home to get some rest, tomorrow's going to be an interesting day for you."

Snapping out of his thoughts, the newly dubbed Ero-sennin quickly walked a few steps away from the blonde before turning his head to look over his shoulder, "Anyways gaki, I just remembered I have to do something important so I have to go and I won't be able to teach you tomorrow, so don't come here."

Slightly put off at the thought of not seeing his sensei for an entire day, Naruto just nodded his head. At least he had a brand new technique to work on, only to have his hopes crushed as the Sannin easily read through his attentions, "And don't try to work on combining your two elements by yourself brat, it's too danger and I don't want the old man after my head because you got killed over something _I _tried to teach you."

And with naught but a hand seal, the toad hermit vanished in a cloud of opaque white smoke, travelling towards the Hokage Tower with one thought in mind, _'I can't believe it's time for that already… But why would the old man want to see me about it…it's usually only the jounin's of the team.'_

Watching as his favourite teacher disappeared to only god knows where, Naruto quietly picked up his thankfully unharmed crimson vest and slipped it over his naked shoulders, ripping off the burnt remains of his shirt in the process. It would have to do until he got back to his apartment and thankfully his pants were still in decent condition.

Seeing as he had nothing else to do, Naruto decided that it was time to head home, after a quick trip to Ichiraku Ramen that is, but just as he was about to jump into the trees, a single cherry blossom, silently drifting in the ever changing winds, landed on the tip of his nose.

"What the hell…" Reaching up, the blonde quickly took the offending sakura petal off of his nose, his thoughts instantly drifting towards his pink-haired teammate of the same name, "I wonder what Sakura-chan's doing…"

Then again, with the way Sakura usually acted when she was around him, he was better off not knowing. So easily abandoning the thoughts about his slightly psychotic and temperamental teammate away, our favourite blonde jinchuuriki made his way towards the best ramen stand in Konohagakure, intent on devouring a few bowls of the noodle and broth goodness before heading home for the night.

Besides, he hadn't talked to the Yondaime and the fur ball for a while and it was _always_ a good idea to keep tabs on your inner demon, who knows what the damn kitsune might be up to.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Haruno Sakura sighed despondently as she quietly slipped into the front door of her home and headed towards the kitchen, slinking off her blue shinobi sandals along the way.

She had just spent the past three hours trailing after her Sasuke-kun after Kakashi-sensei had dismissed them and disappeared in a white poof of smoke, hoping that today was the day he would _finally_ agree to go out with her, but it was all for naught.

**XX FlashBack XX**

_Sakura watched on as her sensei walked away, his covered nose buried in that little orange book of his. A part of Sakura had always wondered what was in the book, but after witnessing Naruto fly off of a branch bleeding like a water fountain after reading the book had deterred any thoughts regarding its contents._

_Turning around, the cherry blossom was surprised to find Sasuke walking away, hands buried in his pockets and an air of nonchalance practically rolling off of his frame, "Hey Sasuke-kun! Wait up!"_

_Running past the frowning blonde member of her team, Sakura slowly slowed to a stop, happy that Sasuke had at least listened to her. So gathering up her courage, Sakura slowly raised her head and looked her crush in the eye, "I was wondering… How about we work on our teamwork, just the two of us?" Sakura asked meekly, a shy smile on her face while pushing her index fingers together and a blush on her cheeks._

_Turning around, Sasuke shot her a glare filled with annoyance, causing her own smile to wilt under the pressure. Why oh why couldn't she just leave him alone, "You're just the same as Naruto, nothing but an annoyance. But at least he's been becoming stronger and helping the team while you've stayed the same."_

_By now, Sakura had lowered her head to the ground, and if one listened closely enough, they could hear the nearly silent sniffles coming from the girl but Sasuke easily crushed the small feelings of guilt and sympathy that reared their ugly head, "If you have the time to bother me for a date, maybe you should try practicing a jutsu or two, or at least train once in a while. As it is right now, even Naruto's above you."_

_Finished with his rant, Sasuke turned back around without another word and walked away from the emotional mess, scoffing slightly as he heard her try to stifle her tears. For all of her supposed brains, the girl needed to smarten up, or she wouldn't survive long in her career as a ninja. After all, there were many things out there worse than death that could happen to a weak kunoichi out in the field._

_Back with Sakura, Naruto quietly approached the snivelling girl and slowly reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder, only to stop as he remembered what she usually did to him when he tried to touch her in any way, shape or form._

_So turning back around, Naruto quietly walked away without another word and towards his secret training spot to meet Jiraiya, a sad frown on his whiskered face. _

_Even though Sakura was always mean to him, he knew that she was still a nice girl deep down who definitely did not deserve that kind of treatment from the teme. But what could he do about it? If Sakura wanted to let Sasuke treat her like trash, then that was up to her._

_Meanwhile, Sakura had finally stopped crying, her eyes bloodshot from the tears. The emerald-eyed genin knew she shouldn't be upset about her Sasuke-kun's reaction, but no matter how hard she tried to prepare herself, it still hurt worse than anything else she had ever experienced._

_Looking around, she realized that Sasuke was right, even Naruto had left her behind. Usually he would be pestering her for a date, and she would punch him before walking away, feeling infinitely better than before, but now that he wasn't here, she truly realized how easily he could take her mind off of Sasuke-kun's constant rejections._

_Sparing one last glance to the streets beside her, Sakura let out a dejected sigh before beginning her walk home, after all, there was always tomorrow._

**XX FlashBack End XX**

Not only had Sasuke-kun rejected all of her offers but he had even that she was more annoying and pathetic than _Naruto_, who was _easily_ the most annoying and pitiful person in all of Konoha for Kami's sake!

But…but what if she _was_ weaker than Naruto, after all, Sasuke-kun could _never_ be wrong and if he said it, it must be true. But if she trained to become stronger, she could ruin her already sub-par figure and Sasuke-kun would want a girl with nice, long flowing hair silky to the touch and a delicate frame he could hold onto and protect.

_'No! I can't give up on Sasuke-kun… I just have to try harder and then he'll have to go out with me.'_ **_'CHA! We'll get our Sasuke-kun no matter what! He's just afraid of admitting his undying love for us!'_ **

Nodding her head determinedly, Sakura swiftly climbed up the stairs with short, quick jumps and jumped into her room, her resolve strengthened. It was just a matter of time before Sasuke-kun saw the error of his ways, and then they would finally get together, have many Uchiha kids with spinning Sharingan eyes and live happily ever after.

A dreamy sigh unconsciously escaped the pink haired genin's parted lip as she walked up the night stand beside her bed, idly picking up the photo of Team 7 taken right after they had graduated. Flopping down on her fluffy mattress, Sakura noted that her mom had changed the sheets again while she had been away.

"He looks so _handsome_…" The quiet statement went unheard by everyone else as Sakura gazed longingly at the frozen Uchiha in the picture, the patented angry glare on his angled face that made him look all the more attractive while Kakashi ruffled his hair.

The way his dark, raven like hair sparkled a dark cobalt at just the right angle in the sun, his aloof and detached personality, his envious and extraordinary skills in anything shinobi related, it was all _perfect_, _he _was perfect. Uchiha Sasuke was everything a girl like her could possible want in a guy.

Forcefully resisting the urge to squeal out in lustful happiness, Sakura looked at the other member of her team, Uzumaki Naruto dressed in the usual orange jumpsuit, or at least, what _used_ be his usual, every day orange jumpsuit.

Ever since the ending of the dreadful mission to Wave Country, Naruto had _changed_, almost on a fundamental level over the course of the past month and a half and if Sakura was truly honest with herself, it _scared_ her.

Naruto had always been a sort of enigma to her but that strange quality has been _easily_ over looked because of his incessant chatter and annoying traits, but over and above that, her blonde teammate had always been an unsurprising constant in her somewhat ordinary life.

He wore an orange jumpsuit, had an unhealthily obsession for _ramen_ of all things, had the ridiculous dream of becoming Hokage and was annoying to a fault. Because of all of this, he had been an extremely annoying but nonetheless _welcome_ constant in her life

But now, Naruto wore red and _black_ of all things, had become slightly _less_ annoying and didn't scream about his dream every chance he got to anyone that was willing to listen. He had even stopped pestering her for dates for heaven's sake!

Before his miraculous and unwelcomed -at least on her part- change, she could _always_ count on Naruto to ask her out, and while she _did_ find it annoying, it _also_ had the effect of making her feel special and unique, especially after Sasuke-kun's constant rejections because she knew she would always hold a place in the blonde's heart.

"What if he finally got fed up with my constant refusals?" Sakura allowed her voice to soften, starring down at the frowning and whiskered face of her annoying teammate, only to ruthlessly crush the thought a second later. She should be _happy_ that Naruto had finally stopped harassing her for dates, not worried that maybe he might have given up on gaining her affection.

Satisfied with her reasoning, Sakura slowly drifted off to sleep as she really didn't have anything else to do.

Her mom wouldn't be back for another few _hours_ at least, Ino was too busy at the flower shop and with helping her parents to spend time with her, -and the pink haired genin winced slightly as she realized that Ino wouldn't really want to hang out with her after their fall out over Sasuke- and Sasuke-kun had made it _absolutely_ clear that he didn't want to see her for the rest of the day.

Pulling the sheets over her head, Sakura slowly began to drift into sleep's inescapable clutches, the group photo of her teammates and sensei clutched tightly to her chest and her last thoughts of the raven haired scion.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke sighed, a low and soft sound that quickly disappeared with the calming wind as he stared down at the two headstones engraved in gold; Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, the graves of his parents and leader's of the Uchiha Clan.

He could almost _feel_ them whenever he came here, his mothers comforting presence, a soft smile on her angelic features as she looked down at her youngest son with love only a mother could give, her mere _existence _calming his mind and soul alike.

His father stood of to the side, figure tall and opposing just like a clan head should be, but he could feel the pride simply _radiating_ off the man, just like when he had done the Goukakyuu successfully for the first time. His face lifted in just the tiniest hints of a fatherly grin before it disappeared without a trace, a vacant look taking its place.

A small smile slowly made its way onto his face but then reality slammed into his senses, shaking the scion from his reminiscing as the two figures slowly melted away, only to be replaced by unmoving bodies, cold to the touch and never to awaken as agnoizing loneliness and anger once again shrouded his mind.

Their spirits screamed in pain and rage, echoing the sorrow of a thousand killed before their time, children, men, and women, an unrelenting shriek in his mind _demanding_ vengeance against the man that had utterly destroyed their lives.

He could still see Itachi, just standing there over the two bodies, bloodied katana in his hand and eyes nothing more than crimson orbs devoid of life, just like his twisted soul, "Foolish brother, if you want to kill me, curse me, hate me…and live a long and unsightly life. Run away and cling to your pitiful existence. And someday, when you have the same 'eyes' as me, come before me."

Sasuke's fists tightened, sharp nails digging into his palms as he remembered his brother's exact words, burnt into his mind from that fateful day six years ago, "I will kill you Itachi, I swear it on my parents grave's that I will, but with my _own_ power, not yours." He would follow his own path to gain power and kill his brother, not follow in his brother's very footsteps and become nothing more than a puppet.

His promise made and resolve strengthened, Sasuke lit a single incense that hovered over the headstones and offered a small prayer before turning around and walking towards his bedroom, intent on taking a shower before heading off to bed.

He really didn't have anything else to do, Kakashi had disappeared in the middle of their elemental training for some reason he couldn't even begin imagine, but a smile made its way onto Sasuke's face as he remembered his most recent accomplishment in elemental manipulation training.

There were three main steps on learning how to properly recompose one's chakra into its elemental affinity; creation, mass production, and control.

He had _easily_ accomplished the first part of learning how to elementally recompose his chakra into its lightning counterpart, having only needed to create enough lightning to power a homemade electromagnet. Even Kakashi had been astounded at how fast he had caught on.

It was the second part that Sasuke had a slight amount of trouble with, but that was only because of his somewhat above average chakra capacity for a genin. There was a reason why elemental manipulation was only taught to chuunin level shinobi and kunoichi or above other than how dangerous it could be.

Now that he knew how to _convert_ his chakra into lightning, all he needed to do was be able to do it in fast and _large _bursts so it could be of actual use in battle instead of disappearing as soon as it came. After all, no one could truly control lightning. Even Kakashi's **Chidori (One Thousand Birds)** would only last for a second –much like a _real _lightning bolt- if the Sharingan endowed jounin didn't continuously supply chakra educed lightning for the jutsu to use.

Slipping off his dirty clothes and stepping into the large shower, Sasuke quickly turned on the water and let it cascade down his aching body, soothing his sore muscles as he contemplated on _how _difficult the second step was.

**XX FlashBack XX**

"Alright Sasuke, now watch closely, this is the reason I've been teaching you how to elementally change your chakra into lightning for the past month and a half." Kakashi said, and Sasuke was surprised to hear the serious tone in the jounin's voice. Even when the scarecrow had begun teaching him about his elemental affinity and talking about its dangers, he hadn't been this serious.

Straightening up and walking away from the tree he was leaning against, the Uchiha scion turned on his Sharingan, two tomoe swirling in each eye and memorizing every little intricate detail of the jounin in front of him.

Nodding in acceptance, Kakashi ran through three quick hand seals at blazing speeds and grabbed his right hand at the wrist with his left, bracing for the immense surge of energy and a look of intense concentration in his single visible eye, "**Chidori!**"

Sasuke watched on, spellbound by the effects as electricity burst between the jounin's fingers, crackling with relentless energy and floating calmly in the palm of his hand yet with barely controlled rage.

The chirping of a thousand birds sang in his ears, a never ending song of death and destruction that had been wrought by the powerful jutsu, "What is that?" Sasuke's voice rang over the chirp of birds, the barest tinge of awe coating his voice.

"This, Sasuke, is the **Chidori**, my one original technique and an A-rank assassination jutsu. _This_ is the reason why I was teaching you how to elementally recompose you chakra into lightning." Letting the jutsu slowly wither away, the one-eyed jounin slowly relaxed his tense stance and returned his attention to Sasuke, "Now, I want you to try it, I know you copied the hand seals with you Sharingan, and you also saw how the chakra flowed."

Nodding slightly, Sasuke ran through the three hand seals engraved into his memory by his clan's heritage, a perfect imitation of Kakashi as he lowered his right hand and gripped it at the wrist with his left.

Chakra surged through this arm and towards his palm, but the grin of anticipation quickly died down as nothing more than the neon blue hue of chakra coated his hand.

Looking up at his sensei, Sasuke raised a delicate eyebrow, impatiently waiting for an explanation from the jounin who looked like he had been expecting that, "I really didn't expect you to get the technique after just watching it with the Sharingan, even though you _technically _do know how to do it. The reason I made you try the **Chidori** was so you could realize that just because you _copied_ a jutsu with your Sharingan, you will _not _always be able to use them if they require a certain type of training."

Seeing that Sasuke was easily following, Kakashi continued in his normal, aloof tone, "In this case, you needed to consciously change your chakra into lightning to power the **Chidori**, which I have been teaching you how to do for the past month. Not only that, you need to create a large amount of lightning in a short amount of time _and_ keep on providing the jutsu for as long as you want it to be active."

The prodigal Uchiha looked at his sensei in awe, not quite believing that his lazy shinobi knew so much. Sure, he had seen Kakashi go toe to toe with Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, but to create such a _deadly_ and simply perfect technique was amazing, _'It would be the perfect technique to kill Itachi; it's even listed as an A-rank assassination jutsu.'_ Returning his attention to his tardy sensei, Sasuke listened closely as Kakashi continued to explain why he couldn't successfully do the technique.

"But seeing as even though you already know how to change your chakra into lightning, you still can't do it in large enough amounts and the next part of our training will take care of that." Finished with his explanation, Kakashi reached into one of his vest pockets and pulled out a black rock-like object before handing it to the surprised genin.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with a lump of _coal_?" Sasuke asked tightly, looked up at the smiling copy cat.

Kakashi just eye-smiled in return, his mask crinkling up at the corners as he grinned in amusement at his student's annoyance, "Why turn it into a diamond of course."

"And how prey-tell am I supposed to do _that_!?" Seriously, while the man was a powerful shinobi and feared across the entire continent, his personality and sense of humour left a lot to be desired for.

Instead of answering, Kakashi reached into his vest pocket again and pulled out another small piece of coal, holding it in his right hand as small tendrils of lightning flashed across the black surface only to disappear an instant later. Sasuke watched on, transfixed as a surge of chakra erupted through the air and the piece of coal exploded in a bright flash of light and electricity, causing him to cover his eyes with his hands.

Putting his hands back down, Sasuke quickly blinked away the white spots from his vision before looking back at Kakashi's outstretched hand, only for his eyes to widen imperceptibly as a glowing diamond greeted his disbelieving orbs, "H-How…?"

"Electricity, the very nature I've been teaching you how to harness. By charging a large amount of electricity into coal, it is possible to transmute it into diamond. And although it is technically a diamond, the electricity used to create it is still inherently chakra based unlike the real thing and because of that; it will always be inherently inferior to actual lightning."

"But if lightning natured shinobi can change coal into diamond, shouldn't they be able to sell the fake diamond just like it was a real one?" While he obviously didn't need the money because of the staggering amount of wealth the Uchiha Clan had, a lot of other people could get incredibly rich off of such a thing.

"Because of the way this diamond was made, it contains a large a concentration of chakra which not only making it incredibly easy to tell whether it's a fake or not, but also supports the diamond's molecular structure. Once the energy eventually runs out, the diamond will collapse."

And like so much waste, Kakashi threw the 'diamond' over his shoulder before suddenly looking up into the clear blue sky and staring at a ordinary bird, _'So it's time for that already. Sasuke should be ready after this training, and Naruto can handle himself, but that still leaves Sakura, but Sasuke and Naruto should be able to take care of her.'_

Snapping out of his thoughts, Kakashi returned his attention to the patiently waiting Uchiha, "Now, let me tell you _how_ you create the needed amount of electricity. It's just like the first exercise, but instead of channelling a small amount of chakra, you have to gather a very large amount in your coils before releasing it at once in an explosive burst and at the same time changing its nature to lightning. Do this, and you will be one step closer to being able to use **Chidori **and ready for the final step."

Reaching into his vest pocket, Kakashi pulled out a small storage scroll, quickly unfurling it and unsealing a small, two pound bag of coal, "Anyways, I have to go do important jounin stuff now, so you start practicing, but only use one piece of coal for each try."

But seeing as Sasuke was already focusing more on his training than him, Kakashi just gave a small shrug before turning around and disappearing in a white cloud of smoke, travelling towards the Hokage Tower at untraceable speeds.

**XX FlashBack End XX**

Turning off the water, Sasuke stepped out of the shower and quickly dried himself up, putting on a pair of clean shorts and walking into his bedroom.

Despite how easy Kakashi had made it sound, it was incredibly difficult. Not only because of the amount of chakra he needed to gather to start the technique, but also because of how quickly he needed to change it into its lightning nature.

So far, all he had managed to do was make the piece of coal slightly harder and that was about it, _'No! I can't give up, I bet Itachi had already learnt how to use his elemental affinity by the time he was my age. I have to get stronger than him no matter what."_

Slipping into his futon, Sasuke slid the covers over his head and gave one last glance towards the picture of his mother, father, Itachi and him standing together on the nightstand, the barest hints of sadness clouding his midnight black eyes before it was ruthlessly crushed by a veil of loathing and resentment.

"Just you wait Itachi, I promise you the day will soon come where you will pay for your crimes against my family." His promise made, the lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan slowly drifted off to sleep, images of times long past where he had been _happy_ slowly beginning to play in his mind.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A cloud of smoke erupted within the Hokage tower as the the form of the legendary Hatake Kakashi, son of the White Fang and last Hatake alive slowly came into view, his single visible eye holding an unusual seriousness to it, "So, it's time for the exams already…"

The Sandaime Hokage sat behind his mahogany desk, hands folded in front of him and warm eyes looking out towards the gathered jounin, "Now then, since Kakashi is here we can begin. Firstly, we'll here from the jounin who are watching over the newest genin. Asuma, Kurenai, Kakashi, would any of you like to nominate your teams for the Chuunin Selection Exam?"

Surprisingly, it was Kakashi that stepped forward first, his beloved orange book mysteriously missing and an unyielding look in his single visible orb, "Under the name of Hatake Kakashi, I nominate Team 7 consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura for the upcoming Chuunin Exam."

Hushed murmurs spread through the room as Kakashi stepped away from the wooden desk. A rookie genin team just out of the Academy being nominated for the Chuunin Selection Exam was unheard, at least for the past forty years. The last time a rookie genin team had been nominated for the Chuunin Exam's was when the Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Senju Tsunade had entered after being trained by the legendry Sarutobi Sasuke, who was already the Sandaime Hokage himself at the time.

The next to step us was Kurenai, her raven black tresses cascading majestically down her back in a shower of silk as her red eyes, not unlike the Sharingan, gleamed dangerously in the artificial light, "Under the name of Yuuhi Kurenai, I nominate Team 8 consisting of Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba for the upcoming Chuunin Selection Exam in Konohagakure."

"Under the name of Sarutobi Asuma I nominate Team 10 consisting of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Yamanaka Ino for the Chuunin Exam in Konoha." Both Kurenai and Asuma stepped back, a knowing look passing between the two that only the Sandaime caught before they returned their attention to their contemplative leader.

_'So all the rookie genin team's got nominated…how rare. The last time it happened was when I nominated my own Team 7 for the Chuunin Exam's…'_ Shaking himself out of his musings, the legendary Professor quietly cleared his throat only to look slightly to the side as the only chuunin in the room stood up, a completely uncharacteristic look of barely concealed anger on his scarred face.

"Wait, hold on a second! Hokage-sama please let me have a word before you dismiss them." Umino Iruka looked towards the wizened Hokage, relief shining in his eyes as Sarutobi nodded slightly in acceptance, "I know I may be speaking out of place since, but those nine were _my _students at the Academy. And while they are all incredibly talented, but it's too early for them to take the Chuunin Exam, even if it _is_ in Konoha this time. Even if they have completed the proper amount of missions, they still need more real life experience."

"I became a chuunin when I was six years _younger_ than Naruto…" Kakashi deadpanned, easily guessing who the chuunin was actually worried for. While Iruka may have cared for and thought that none of the rookie genin were ready for the Chuunin Selection Exam, Naruto would always hold a special place in the chuunin's heart, even he knew that.

"Naruto is different than you! What are you trying to do by sending these _kids_ to the Chuunin Exam, _crush_ them!?" The usually docile shinobi shouted, surprising all the ninja present. Everyone, including the Hokage, looked at the good natured and normally placid chuunin with surprise coloring their face at his sudden outburst.

Kakashi, on the other hand, continued to stare at Iruka was his aloof, detached gaze, his single eye boring into the chuunin's own black orbs, "Naruto's always complaining about how easy his missions are, maybe a little pain will be good for him and the others. Crushing them might just be fun…"

"What!?"

"That was a joke Iruka… On the other hand, I can understand your feelings for Naruto and how much this must upset you but…" Kakashi drawled on, only to stop suddenly as his single visible eye gained a deadly seriousness. The air was suddenly alight with barely suppressed killing intent as the scarecrow stared at Iruka, face shadowed and his glacial glare freezing the chuunin in place, "Stay out of this, they are no longer the precious little students that you used to pamper, they are now my _soldiers_."

"Stop it Kakashi, that's enough…" The red-eyed genjutsu mistress glanced towards the Sharingan endowed Hatake, the killing intent slowly dying down as Kakashi restrained his anger until it completely withered away into oblivion.

Seeing as the unnecessary drama was finally over, the Sandaime released a small sigh of acceptance for his eccentric jounins, "You do not need to worry about Naruto Iruka, Jiraiya here can assure you of that." The Sandaime said, pointing towards the Sannin leaning against the wall. A couple of the jounin looked startled and slightly awed since they hadn't even _felt_ the legendary Sannin come into the room while unknown to the rest, Kakashi narrowed his single eye in thought at the hidden meanings behind the Hokage's words.

"Is there anyone else that would like to nominate their team?" Watching as a couple more jounin raised their hands, Sarutobi quickly wrote them down before dismissing the entire group with a small wave of his gnarled hand.

His task finished, Sarutobi swivelled around in his chair, staring out through the window and towards the slowly setting sun illuminated the four portraits of the Hokage's past and present sculpted on the Hokage Monument with an awe inspiring glow The entire mountain was awash in an unholy orange-red radiance, the fires of hell itself scorching the Heroes of Konoha in never ending torture, _'Something tells me that's not just a coincidence…' _If the sight hadn't been so disturbingly beautiful, he might have thought more of it, but as it was, the Sandaime let himself be lost in his thoughts of times long past.

Snapping out of his morbid thoughts, the Hokage quickly discarded the unnervingly frightful premonitions as his thoughts drifted towards the blonde haired jinchuuriki of Konoha and the upcoming test, "I truly hope you are ready for what is to come Naruto, for it will be one of the many times I haven't been able to protect you… And for that, I hope you can forgive the foolish decisions of this foolish old man."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked through the lively streets of Konoha, the entire village bustling with activity and blissfully unaware of the stares he was getting from the majority of the female population as they ogled at his barely clad torso, the ripped pants and exposed upper body only adding to his sexy rugged appeal.

While most would like think that Uzumaki Naruto was just a scrawny little boy beneath all that clothing and his diet of nothing but ramen didn't help the assumption, it couldn't be further from the truth.

The past month and a half of training had done wonders for the boy's body. While Jiraiya mostly specialized in ninjutsu and summoning, that didn't mean he neglected Naruto's taijutsu training. After all, you don't gain the title of Sannin from one of the most powerful man alive just by being skilled at shooting elemental blasts of chakra.

So while the blonde haired Uzumaki wasn't rippling with muscles, he was still better off than most of the other boys of his generation.

Letting out a sigh of resignation as he realized he was being followed, Naruto continued on his walk through Konoha and towards Ichiraku Ramen, the inconspicuous square shaped 'rock' following his every movement. He didn't know _what_ Konohamaru was up to, but he might as well put a stop to it before the little brat got hurt and blamed him, _'Besides, what kind of a rock has eye holes!?'_

Channelling chakra to his feet, Naruto stopped mid-step and turned around, his hands crossed in front of him and a slight glare of annoyance on his whiskered face, "Come on Konohamaru, I know it's you, just get out the damn box…" He was hungry damn it, he didn't want to deal with the gaki on an empty stomach.

Unsurprisingly, the 'rock' flipped over not a moment later, the three young Academy students springing up to their feet with Konohamaru in the front and pointing at the barely dressed genin, "I knew I picked you as my riva- Whoa, what happened to your clothes Boss? Try to pick a fight with a bonfire?"

Konohamaru, dressed in his usual yellow t-shirt with the Konoha symbol embroidered in red, a pair of light grey shorts and a dark blue scarf wrapped around his neck gawked at his 'rivals' condition. Whoever had done this to his aniki _had_ to be strong.

Grinning sheepishly, Naruto absentmindedly scratched the back of his head while unwittingly causing a few of the village girls on the streets to swoon. After all, there was nothing sexier than a tan skinned, blue-eyed and half naked blonde haired genin that looked like the Yondaime when he smiled, "Hehe, about that, a little accident happened while I was training…"

Looking down after a moment at the three kids, Naruto quirked an eyebrow in surprise as he noticed the goggles on each of their heads, the dark lenses gleaming in the slowly setting sun "Huh, what's with the goggles Konohamaru?"

The boy's earlier curiosity at his idol's choice of dress was quickly forgotten at the question, "We're trying to copy the old you Boss, before you became a genin! What do you think of them?" The smiling grandson of the Third Hokage asked.

Unbidden, a small smile crossed Naruto's face. It felt nice to be appreciated in such a way, even if it _was_ by little kids, "They look good Konohamaru, keep it up and someday you'll be as strong as me."

The three small children grinned happily at the praise from their 'leader' before the single female of the group stepped forward, nervously scratching her cheek, a look that Naruto surprisingly found absolutely adorable on the girl, "Umm, Leader, I was wonder, are you busy because you said you'd play ninja with us today…"

Frowning slightly at the reminder since he_ had_ promised that he would play with them, the hungry genin unconsciously put a hand on his stomach, _'If I play with them, it could take all day and I'm freaking starving…' _

Sighing miserably, Naruto opened his mouth to say no, only to stop in his tracks as he looked down at their smiling and innocent faces, his frown slowly melted into a small yet sad and whimsical smile, _'Hehe, I guess I can let them play ninja while they still can…'_

"Sure Moegi… I'll play ninja with you guys." The three kids grinned in happiness, their toothy smiles eerily reminding Naruto of a jounin he had seen dressed in, of all things, green spandex while walking to his training grounds one day.

The images of those caterpillars's feasting on the eccentric jounin's eyebrows still haunted him in his dreams till this day.

Snapping out of his disturbing thoughts with a slight shudder of disgust, the last unknown Namikaze turned his attention back to the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, "Alright, why don't you three go hide while I count, and after thirty seconds, I'll come and look for you?"

"Alright, let's go Udon, Moegi-chan!" Nodding to each other, the three Academy students ran down the street before quickly rounding a corner. Naruto stood where he was, a small smile on his face at their childish antics as he began the counting.

_'Now where was I, oh yeah…15, 16, 17, 18…'_ But before Naruto could get any further, a loud shout shook his from his thoughts, "Let him go!"

Easily recognizing the voice as Moegi's, Naruto looked down the street to where Konohamaru and his friends had disappeared to mere moments ago before quickly shaking himself out of his stupor and sprinting down the worn path.

Taking a sharp turn around to corner, Naruto ground to a halt as he saw a Suna shinobi standing there, a genin from the lack of a chuunin or jounin vest wearing a black jumpsuit with a hood with cat-like ears adorning his frame and what looked like war paint on his face. On his back was a suspicious looking bundle wrapped in white cloth.

Beside him stood an older kunoichi, her sandy blonde hair arranged in four pigtails and wearing a light pink kimono-esqe type of dress that cut off at the knees with a chain mesh shirt underneath. On her back was a large, black battle fan.

"Don't worry Temari; I'll just mess around a bit with this brat before Gaara comes." The cat-like male spoke up, grabbing Konohamaru by his collar before hoisting him up to eye level with one hand.

The kunoichi just scoffed in return, "Tch, oh well, I'm not involved in this. Don't blame me if you get yelled at later Kankuro." Gaara had been acting even _more_ bloodthirsty and psychotic since they had entered Konoha and Temari had absolutely no desire to get fed to his sentient sand for picking on a little boy.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, that's Hokage-sama's grandson you're bullying." Looking up in surprise at the new voice, both Temari and Kankuro saw a barely dressed blonde haired Konoha genin standing in front of the cowering kids.

_'He's pretty cute…'_ Temari thought, a light blush coating her cheeks. There weren't _nearly_ as many cute guys back in Suna as there were in Konoha. First they had run into that lazy Nara and now this blonde who was practically _swimming_ in rugged appeal.

Frowning slightly, Kankuro threw the boy in his arms at the blonde haired brat who easily caught him before silently setting him down. If that kid really _was_ the Sandaime's grandson, then he could have _easily_ caused a war and Gaara would have fed him to his freaky sand. But that didn't mean he couldn't pick on the blue-eyed gaki.

Reaching for the bundle on his back, Kankuro smirked haughtily as the blonde boy in front of him froze, a look of fear and surprise etched on his face as his eyed slowly widened in horror, _'Stupid gaki's all talk and no bite, I'll show him what it's like to be a shinobi.'_ Unknown to the smirking Kankuro, _he_ wasn't the reason Naruto had stopped.

_'W-Who is that…?' _Naruto thought frantically as the raw, bloody edge of terror dragged itself down his spine, the feeling of pure and unrestrained killing intent slowly wrapping around his shivering form. He didn't know who or _what_ it was, -since nothing human could simply want to _kill_ for the joy of it- but whatever was releasing that killing intent wanted to destroy him just for the _sake _of ending his existence. A small part of his mind unaffected by the intent realized that only he seemed to be able to feel it.

But the most terrifying part was that he felt an almost familiar feeling before, inside of the Kyuubi's seal the first time he had visited the damnable beast.

Looking up at a tree to his left, teal green eyes, devoid of life and emotion greeted his own horror stricken blue orbs. There was nothing in those jaded eyes, just a hollow vastness brimming with the agony one feels from _true_ solitude and loneliness, much like his own eyes before he had met his precious people and gained a reason to simply _exist_.

Taking a shivering step away from the two Suna genin on the streets, Naruto watched on in apprehension as the figure hanging upside down from the tree branch disappeared in a tumultuous cyclone of sand only for the same whirlwind of sand and dust to appear in front of them a second later, revealing the red haired boy.

Taking in the appearance of the youngest looking genin on the team, the Kyuubi's demon vessel quickly noticed three glaring details about him. There was a giant gourd to his back with what looked like a big, brown belt, the kanji for 'love' was tattooed onto his eyebrow less forehead, and his aquamarine eyes were ringed in black, making him look like he hadn't slept a day in his entire life.

"That's enough Kankuro; you're an embarrassment to our village." A dangerous voice edged with just the hints of deeply concealed insanity rent through the air, shaking Naruto from his thoughts and causing both Temari and Kankuro to tremble from the killing intent now directed towards them.

"G-Gaara! T-They s-started it!" Kankuro stuttered, miserably trying to hide his fear. He had seen the look in Gaara's eyes when he had glanced at the blonde, the same one he got whenever he wanted to truly kill someone and would slaughter _anyone_ that got in his way, siblings included.

"Shut up or I'll kill you right now…" Kankuro quickly shut up at the merciless words. He knew Gaara would gladly carry out the threat if provoked. Meanwhile, the red-headed insomniac stared at the yellow-haired genin in front of him, killing intent spewing off of him with even greater pressure and power as he watched on in interest as the boy's blue eyes danced between crimson and sapphire, unfathomable and unrestrained killing intent slowly building up behind the fearful yet sharp glare. Something almost seemed…_familiar _about the blonde in front of him, even 'mother' was howling loudly in the dark recesses of his mind, the noise grating in his ears like a slab of diamond being forced through concrete.

Naruto, on the other hand, was trying his hardest to control the Kyuubi's yokai that was suddenly bubbling through his veins, raw, untamed and _burning _power screaming to be unleashed and destroy the fools that dared to challenge it. It looked as if the demon inside of him was excited by the red-haired genin, for what reason though, the Uzumaki could only guess.

With a supreme force of will, Naruto pushed down the Kyuubi's influence, taking deep, sharp breaths of air from the needed effort to calm the beast as the deathly aura and killing intent he had been indirectly exuding slowly disappeared. Steeling his resolve as the killing intent from the crimson haired genin slowly died down, Naruto put a slight glare on his scarred face before speaking up, "You three are genin from Sunagakure aren't you? Why are you here?"

Seeing as her two brothers weren't going to answer, Temari quietly spoke up, the stifling aura from the blonde and the killing intent from her psychotic brother long gone by now, "You're right, we're genin from Suna. As for why we're here, it's to take the Chuunin Selection Exam."

"The Chuunin Selection Exam? It's in Konoha this time?" Naruto asked, frowning slightly as the pigtailed girl nodded haughtily. Iruka had talked about the chuunin exam back in the Academy, it being one of the few ways for genin to advance to the rank of chuunin. But if that was true and it really _was_ in Konoha this time, why wouldn't Kakashi-sensei tell them about it?

"It seems like you've heard of it. Since we're the _strongest_ team of genin from our village, we were chosen to represent Suna in the exam two days from now and from the look on your face, it seems like your jounin sensei didn't pick you, did he?" Temari said, smirking slightly as the glare on the barely dressed genin's strangely whiskered face widened.

"Enough of this Temari, Kankuro, let's go." Walking away from the Konoha group as his teammates obediently followed, Gaara suddenly stopped before looking over his shoulders as the blonde haired one called out to him, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Sabaku No Gaara… I'm also interested in you, what is your name?" Off to the side, both Temari and Kankuro shot concerned glances towards each other and the blonde haired brat. While they may not have liked him, he didn't seem _that_ bad of a guy, but now he was as good as dead. _Nobody_ survived for long if Gaara was interested in them.

Surprised at the sudden request, Naruto thought about the effects of telling a foreign shinobi his name before quickly discarding the thought. Gaara had given him his name; the least he could do was return the favour, "Uzumaki Naruto…"

Nodding slightly in acceptance, Gaara slowly turned back around and resumed his leisurely gait, only to stop mid-step before turning to look over his shoulder, a vaguely deranged grin stretching over his face, eyes outlined in black open wide and aquamarine pupils dilated, "I look forward to see you in the exam, Uzumaki Naruto…"

Watching as the three genin from Suna slowly walked away, one thought ran rampant through Naruto's mind, _'Now that was definitely creepy…'_ Shaking himself from his stupor, Naruto turned back around, only to come face to face with three awed Academy students.

Being the first to break out of his awe induced shock, Konohamaru quickly began shooting off questions, his eye dancing with awe and admiration, "Wow! That was so cool Naruto-nii-chan! You scared off all three of them by yourself and how did you make your eyes turn red? They looked _so_ freaky and awesome!"

"Oh…about that…it's just a really cool technique my sensei taught me how to do…" Sweat dropping slightly as Konohamaru began jumping around about how his own sensei sucked; Naruto released a sigh of relief that the gullible boy bought his excuse. Although the blonde did feel bad about lying to him, he would rather not tell Konohamaru about the Kyuubi anytime soon if it could be helped.

Besides, he could always make it up to the boy by teaching him the **Harem no Jutsu (Harem Technique) **that he seemed so fond of.

"Now why don't you three run along, I've got a meeting tomorrow morning with my team and I want to go get some sleep…" Feeling slightly guilty at the downtrodden look on the three Academy students' faces, Naruto quickly tried to think of something before grinning, "How about this, the next time I'm not busy, I _promise_ I'll play ninja with you guys."

The three kids brightened up considerably, knowing without a doubt that their leader would keep his promise, "You promised Naruto-nii-chan… Remember that!" With one final wave, the three students ran off, happily laughing to each other as they thought of other things to do.

Watching as the three soon to be genin disappeared around the corner; a small, reminiscent smile crossed Naruto's face as he turned around and headed back to his apartment.

_'I don't really feel like eating anymore…'_ the blonde thought to himself with a slight shudder, the psychotic genin's killing intent still fresh in his mind. The aquamarine eyes outlined in black flashed before his eyes, listless orbs devoid of all life and emotion. It was like looking at a machine, simply there to complete its task before being discarded away as a useless relic of the past.

Even the Kyuubi _still_ seemed to be riled up about the encounter judging from the slight headache he had along with the beast's yokai that was still trying to break free from their tight confines. He could still feel the Kyuubi's hot breath on the back of his neck, urging him on to kill, to destroy and to just let _go_ and show the red-haired brat who the real prey was.

He didn't know _what_ could actually excite the king of the bijuu enough that it was gnashing its claws against the cage bars in an attempt to get out, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to know either.

So shaking his head to clear his thoughts because of the slight headache, Naruto jumped up onto the rooftops, speeding along the tiled surface at impossible speeds as his black clad figure disappeared into the orange-red horizon, his form illuminated like the angel of death itself.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So what do you think?"

A single black eye gazed on in interest at the retreating backs of the red and blonde haired genin, his mouth curving into the slightest bits of a smirk at the thought of facing such powerful opponents, "Well… Nothing serious, but that blonde haired one and the one with the gourd, they feel dangerous. Make sure you two keep out eye on them Zaku, Kin…"

He didn't know _why_ they seemed so dangerous, but they had a feeling about them hiding _just_ below the surface and away from the senses of most people who didn't know what to look for. He, on the other hand, had felt it once before back in his original village and that single time was enough to sear it into his brain, never to be forgotten.

_Horrible black flames, writhing and twisting like tormented souls sprang to life in front of him. Tear filled eyes stared forward into flames as dark as the bottomless abyss of space, the very ground melted into a puddle of liquid rock with their blistering heat. _

_Fear, pure and unrelenting clawed at his throat as he slowly backed away from the charred remains of three blackened skeletons. His mother, his father, his sister, his **family** reduced to nothing more than dust and ash beneath the hellish creature's power._

_He had to get away, no matter what, but the flames just kept on getting closer, forever closer. A strangled scream erupted from his raw and bloody throat as the edges of the midnight blaze licked the right side of his face, charred skin seemingly melting off of the bone before his entire world blissfully went black._

The single visible eye suddenly hardened at the memory of the worst day of his life, hatred of times long past from the depths of his being coming to the surface as images of that…that _thing_ came to the forefront of his mind, _'I will kill you Nii Yugito, no matter what it takes. You and you're kind doesn't deserve to live for what they have done to my family…'_

"It doesn't matter Dosu; we can take care of anyone that we come across in this exam." The lone girl of their team stated, jerking the newly named Dosu from his revenge driven thoughts.

Dosu looked up at the single female member of their team, a slight predatory grin showing through his bandages. Her raven black haired tinged with just the barest hints of deep neon blue ran down to the bottom of her ankles where it was held together with a purple bow.

A gray and black camouflage sleeveless shirt went to just below her hips and a forest green vest adorned her developed chest. A kunai holster was bandaged onto her right leg which was covered by camouflage pants and a pair of blue shinobi sandals adorned her feet.

"I suppose you're right, now let's get out of here, sense wanted to meet us before sundown." Getting up from his crouching position, Dosu channelled chakra into his legs and leapt off of the sturdy branch, heading towards their apartment building at slightly above average speeds.

Seeing as they had nothing left to do, both Kin and Zaku nodded once to each other and bounded of towards their leader, an identical smirk flashing across their lips, _'I wonder what kind of power Orochimaru-sama will give me once we complete our task…'_

After all, they weren't here to become chuunin; they had one task and _only _one task to complete for their lord and master, the great exiled Sannin Orochimaru-sama.

The assassination of Uchiha Sasuke, no matter what the cost…

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Ahh, now _that _felt good…" Naruto whispered happily to himself, a towel wrapped around his shoulders after having just stepped out of the modest shower. Truly, there was nothing better in the world than a nice, hot and most important of all _long_ shower after a dull day of D-ranked missions and elemental training, especially if you accidently blew yourself up.

Throwing the slightly moist towel in the laundry hamper beside his bed, the freshly cleaned jinchuuriki slowly climbed into his small bed, throwing his pants off in the process and leaving himself clad only in a pair of orange boxers embroidered with small, chibi foxes and toads. Even though he had decided to change his outfit into something a little more fitting for a shinobi, orange has been and always will be the most _awesome_ color in the world, and one should never shun their favourite color.

_'And speaking of my favourite color…'_ Naruto thought, a slight blush becoming visible on his scarred cheeks as he reached into the dresser beside his bed. Flipping open a hidden compartment in the side, he reached in carefully before pulling out a familiar orange book, a bookmark depicting a fox visible between the white pages of literary smut.

Quickly flipping open to the bookmarked page, the Kyuubi's jailor quickly took the placeholder out, putting it on the nightstand beside him before returning his attention to the book in his hands, a slightly perverted grin of pleasure on his whiskered face.

He remembered when he had first gotten the book from his sensei Jiraiya of the Sannin a little over a month and a half ago. The blonde haired genin couldn't believe that he had almost dismissed such a masterpiece of literature the likes Icha Icha Paradise as nothing more than a useless waste of space and time.

But after reading it for the first time that fateful day, he just couldn't seem to _stop_. Not only was the way of writing excellent –and another one of the perverted hermits more notable and extraordinary skills- but the smut itself was incredibly well written.

And now, almost two months later and Naruto was already half way through the book, being careful to only read as much as to satisfy himself and not a page more. After all, he didn't want to become an open and shameless pervert like his one-eyed jounin sensei, reading the addictive but nevertheless entertaining book each second of every day.

Snapping himself out of his reminiscing, the blue eyed closet pervert began reading, sapphire eyes shining with excitement and anticipation like the morning sun.

_Every fibre in her body screamed in ecstasy, a blazing orb of pleasure like molten acid building in the pit of her stomach before exploding outwards, engulfing her in a sea unbearable heat and ecstasy._

_Her back arched, eyes hazy with unfathomable bliss and her womanly juices trickling down her creamy and luscious thighs before the unnatural high of her orgasm finally began dying down, leaving her lithe figure as nothing more than a leaking bundle of joyful flesh. Oh gods had that felt good…_

_"My, my Tsunami-chan, I always knew you were a little vixen but to orgasm so quickly? You must have been holding out for so long, weren't you?" _

_Tsunami looked up at the man who had brought her to the edge of oblivion and back with nothing but his two fore fingers, eyes half lidded in pleasure and her naked body convulsing faintly from the after math of her explosive orgasm._

_Looking down, she quickly noticed the tent forming in his pants, her tongue darting out unconsciously and sensually licking her moist, crimson lips, "Please…Kaiza-kun… I-I can't take it anymore, I want you inside of me…"_

_Grinning at the women's impatient, a sly grin slowly made its way onto Kaiza's face, "Oh? What do you want inside of you? I didn't quite hear that…"_

_"I-I want you inside of me…" Blushing brightly, Tsunami turned her raven black eyes to the side, embarrassed to look at the grinning man above her. _

_"What do you want inside of you? My fingers…?" Oh how he loved teasing her, she would always get so flustered and the cutest blush would coat her cheeks a healthy pink. Not to mention when she finally caved and gave into her animalistic desires, he still had the rug burns from last time to prove it too._

_"No… I want you're…" Trailing off in the end, Tsunami quickly looked back up to see the grinning face of her lover before quickly looking away. She knew he was doing it on purpose, he always loved to tease her whenever they made love until she finally gave in and just let go._

_"What was that? I didn't quite hear you…" _

_"I want your cock inside of my pussy!" Tsunami screamed, startling Kaiza for a moment with her sudden intensity before he quickly regained his composure, a wolfish smirk of triumph on his face, "And here I thought you'd never say it." Finally, now that the games were over, the real fun could begin._

_Reaching forward, Kaiza slowly grabbed hold of Tsunami's creamy and smooth thighs, marvelling at the softness of her flawless skin for a mere moment before pulling her towards him, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist as he positioned himself near her glistening entrance. _

_Brushing his rock hard erection against her swollen lips, Kaiza lightly stroked her visible clit with his head, a whimper of pleasure unconsciously escaping Tsunami's from the sudden and welcomed feeling._

_Lowering himself until he was hovering above her otherworldly figure, the hazel eyed man gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, her own luscious pair quickly responding in kind as Kaiza suddenly thrust into her tight cunt. This wasn't the first time they were having sex, so he had nothing to worry about. _

_Tsunami moaned into his mouth, abruptly breaking the kiss as she felt his hot member plunge into her moist hole. Oh gods how she loved this feeling. Every nerve screamed in a sensation of pure bliss as her lover began to slowly pound into her._

_In and out, in and out, Kaiza continued to thrust into her with bruising intensity, slowly increasing his tempo and speed as her throaty moans quickly became shrill screams to match the force of his wild yet rhythmic pounding._

_Releasing his hands from her curvy hips, Kaiza reached forward and grabbed her jiggling breasts, fondling the large mounds of soft and supple flesh before lightly pinching the erect nipples, grinning slight as Tsunami gasped underneath him._

_Letting go, he continued to slam into her greedily; a man possessed by his inner beasts of desire and lust as he reached down and lifted her off of the bed, bringing her up until she was sitting in his lap. _

_Tsunami screamed his name from the new position, her lithe body shuddering slightly as another orgasm overcame her senses, infinitely bigger than the last one. She could feel her translucent white juices flowing down her thighs and onto the sheets below as she continued to come. _

_Kaiza grunted her name, feeling her inner walls quiver and tense as they massaged his cock as her orgasm shook curvy body, the white liquid gushing around his erection too much for him to handle as he came. _

_Pushing into her with small, jolting thrusts, Kaiza released his seed inside of her, the milky white fluid spurting out in erratic spurts as twin moans of pleasure rang out through the air, their world engulfed in white as they came together. _

_The two bodies stayed there for a few moments, overcome by the throes of ecstasy and pleasure from their carnal act before Kaiza slumped back into the bed, Tsunami shortly following after as she landed on his chest, her stiff nipples and mounds of flesh squashed between their two bodies._

_"That was great…" Tsunami whispered breathlessly after a moment of silence, looking into the hazel eyes of her lover. That was probably the hardest she had ever come in her life. _

_"Yeah…" Reaching down, Kaiza gaze her ass a nice, soft squeeze, eliciting a yelp of surprise, "I've got an idea on what we can try the next time…" Parting her cheeks, Tsunami face burned a bright pink as Kaiza slowly outlined her asshole with his finger, a smirk just screaming mischief on his face._

_Averting her eyes, Tsunami just nodded slightly, a cute blush on her cheeks at the new prospect while causing Kaiza's grin to widen, only to see that she had already fallen asleep from exhaustion._

_His grin slowly melted into a gentle smile as he looked at her peaceful expression, he really must have tired her out. Resolving to bring lube next time, Kaiza slowly drifted off into a dreamless slumber, a content smile on his face._

Naruto gently put the revered book back in its hidden place before closing the drawer with a loud 'thump', a foxy grin on his visage as he grabbed a tissue and quickly wiped away the small stream of blood flowing from his nose. For all the supposed healing the damn fox could do, it couldn't stop a measly nose bleed, but at least it was better than what had happened the first time he had read the book.

Making sure that the bleeding had stopped; the blonde jinchuuriki quickly threw away the Kleenex before closing the table light beside his bed and getting under the covers, a fox-like yawn unconsciously escaping his mouth. Even though it was hard to notice, training with the Sannin had taken quite a bit out of him.

So pulling the covers over his head, silence settled over the quaint room as Naruto's breathing slowly began to even out, at least until his sharp ears picked up the slightest of noises. Frowning slightly, Naruto focused on the small, obscure and highly muffled noise that sounded, oddly enough, like _whimpers_, but too tired from his hectic day to care enough to check it out, the blonde jinchuuriki mentally shrugged, _'Probably just some weird animal…'_

The incorporeal hands of sleep slowly closed around his mind, the world gaining a hazy and muddled quality as Naruto slowly drifted off to sleep, his last conscious thoughts of the beast sealed inside of him and its unbreakable seal.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

Blue eyes snapped open in the dark at the monotonous sound, quickly getting used to the dim lighting before the owner quickly sprang up to his feet, the sight of translucent black bars as thick as his torso lined with glowing blue kanji exploding across his vision.

Naruto sighed, taking in a deep breath of the stifling air as he looked across the bars and into the infinite darkness of the bijuu's cage, wondering slightly why he couldn't see the towering figure of the Kyuubi. Usually he could at least see a small red glow far off in the distance, but even that wasn't there today.

"Hey Naruto!" Yelping up in surprise, Naruto spun around on his heels, heart pounding painfully in his tight chest as he came face to face with the grinning visage of the Yondaime Hokage.

Quickly reigning in his surprise and calming his frantic heart beat, the irate blonde quickly donned an annoyed expression, "Damn it! What is it with you freaking jounin and popping up out of nowhere like that?"

The blonde haired Hokage's grin only widened, he had loved doing that to his team, especially to Kakashi since the young shinobi had always tried to look so aloof in front of him. It certainly felt good to be able to do it again after twelve years of mind numbing solitude and heart shattering loneliness, "Don't blame me, it's your fault for being caught off guard. Remember the first rule of being a ninja?"

Still sulking, the jinchuuriki quickly answered in a grumpy tone, "A shinobi should _always_ be aware of their surroundings…" Naruto grumbled, sighing in resignation at the childish antics of the grown man since he knew that Minato _was_ technically right. After all, after having spent the last _twelve_ years inside the _stomach_ of a God of Death, Minato must be doing everything he could to have as much fun as he could for as long as he was outside of the desolated place.

"Anyways, where's Kyuubi?" Naruto asked, only to raise an eyebrow in wonder as Minato's grin transformed into a foxy smirk.

Muttering dejectedly about weird old men, the demon vessel slowly turned around to face the cage, his neck craned up painfully to look at the towering figure of hatred and chakra only to see a endless sea of depthless black, that is, until a smooth, flowing and above all _heavenly _voice snaked its way around the lucid bars and into his sharp ears, **"Looking for someone brat?"**

Naruto snapped his head down, eyes widening to epic proportions as he gawked at the _human_ figure standing behind the gate, effortless charm simply _flowing_ off of her otherworldly body as one thought ran rampant in his hazy mind.

She was fucking _gorgeous_!

In every way, shape and form, the goddess in front of him was _perfect_. Hell, even Kurenai couldn't hold a candle to the women in front of him.

Stepping closer to the bars, Naruto slowly drank in her appearance. Bright, dazzling red hair flowed down to her knees like a curtain of silk, reflecting the dim light and giving the strands an ethereal glow. Her skin was a soft porcelain, flawless and smooth even in the dank and oppressive atmosphere of the corporeal seal.

Looking further down her heart shaped face, the pure essence of femininity, her luscious red lips gleamed darkly in the dim light, and looking closer, the awed blonde could see just the barest hints of her canines pocking over his bottom lip as she smirked.

She wore the barest amounts of clothing necessary, all a dazzling and exotic pure white embroidered with gold designs that faintly reminded him of Kurenai-sensei's wardrobe.

Shaking himself from his awed stupor, Naruto looked back up into slit crimson eyes boring into his own shocked sapphire orbs. The voluptuous women watched in satisfaction as recognition flashed in her jailor's eyes a moment later, "Kyuubi…"

**"Who did you think I was you foolish mortal?"** Ignoring the barb at his mortality, Naruto spun around, his expression a mixture of confusion, bewilderment, and shock as he stared ahead at the now composed Yondaime, "What the _hell_ is going on?! Why is the_ Kyuubi_ a freaking _chick_ and why aren't you surprised?"

"Just calm down Naruto, nothing's wrong. It's just that Kyuubi thought it would be easier for us to talk if she used her _human_ form, so she transformed, nothing more, nothing less. And I'm not surprised because I've already seen her as a human."

Naruto stopped, quickly letting the information digest before smiling owlishly and absentmindedly scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed manner, "Hehe, I guess that explains everything…" Looking back on it, he _had_ overreacted slightly; it wasn't as if the demonic kitsune had somehow freed itself.

"So why are you here Naruto?" Minato asked questioningly. While he _definitely _didn't mind the company, the blonde hadn't been in his own mindscape for over a month, so it was kind of surprising that he had shown up all of a sudden.

"I was just wondering what the two of you were up to and to make sure the damn fox didn't try anything funny." Naruto said, jerking his thumb towards the pouting nine-tailed kitsune.

**"Like I could even _try_ anything gaki, this seal was made by the Death God, a being even more powerful than me." ** The human turned demon admitted, only to look up at the surprised faces of the two blondes, mouth slightly agape in disbelief at what they were hearing, **"What?"**

Seeing as the younger blonde was still transfixed with what he had heard, Minato slowly spoke up in a slow and hesitant voice, "Y-You just admitted that there was someone out there _stronger_ than you, _the_ Kyuubi no Kitsune, strongest of the bijuu…"

Trailing off in the end, the Yellow Flash's expression quickly changed into one of intense contemplation as he remembered the last month and a half he had spent with the humanoid demon.

Ever since the kitsune had transformed into a human, it…_she_ had changed on almost a fundamental level, even the way she acted and spoke to them was different in her human form than that her demonic spirit, the most notable being how she behaved.

While she had been a demon, an almost overwhelming aura of death and killing intent had always enshrouded her form with only the strongest willed individuals being able to remain calm and collected. Her, or rather, its mere presence had been enough to cripple half of Konoha's forces during the invasion that wretched day twelve years ago.

But now, nothing even remotely resembling killing intent was noticeable to even _his_ highly honed senses. Rather, she had an almost calming and most of all intoxicating aura simply oozing off of her sensual and voluptuous form, instantly setting his mind at ease and naturally lowering his guard around the being he _knew _was inherently evil.

Abruptly stopping his train of thought, the Yellow Flash of Konoha blushed slightly as he remembered her continuous teasing and flirting from the past month and a half. He knew she did it on purpose just to see him flustered, but he would have been blind not to see her otherworldly beauty and not be affected -and _aroused_- by it. From the way her face twisted into those cute and utterly adorable expressions when he beat her during their nightly poker games down to the way her perfect breasts jiggled whenever she sighed despondently at her loss; it was _all_ done to make him blush and get flustered.

Even the way she spoke had changed drastically. Despite the fact that the demonic side had _always_ regarded their entire _species_ in general as nothing but insignificant ants, her human form seemed to consider them as something worth her time, but still undeniably below her ungodly power and elegance.

Then again, he hadn't been regarded as a genius that comes once every few generations without a reason as his sharp mind quickly began putting together the clues. Minato had always thought that the transformation Kyuubi went through was nothing more than a physical change, only transforming her outside appearance to resemble a human's, but what if it was something _more_.

Snapping his incandescent blue eyes up to meet the ethereal blood red orbs of the Kyuubi, Minato spoke up, a knowing quality to his soft, whispered voice, "Your transformation, it doesn't just change your body, it changes what you _are_, doesn't it…" It wasn't as much of a question as statement.

The surprised red-head stared at him for a moment, not really having expected the blonde Yondaime to figure it out so quickly before grinning, **"Seems like there's more to you than just good looks mortal."** Kyuubi purred seductively, winking at the blushing blonde before continuing, **"But yes, it _is _more than just a transformation. While in my demonic and natural form, I am just that, a demon without the need for useless emotions and purely an instinctual creature. But when I _change_ into my human form, not only does it change my outward appearance to that of a human's, it also essentially _makes_ me human, albeit an _extremely_ powerful one. Along with that, I also gain emotions, or rather; I have less control over them and am more willing to follow them like you."**

"So it's almost exactly like Naruto's combination of the **Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)** and the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) **to create the **Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)**." The Yondaime muttered quietly to himself, turning his attention towards the startled Naruto.

The younger blonde, who had so far been off to the side listening in on the various conversations snapped his head up to meet the mischievous eyes of the only other _real _human in the sewer-like room, a mortified expression on his face, "H-How do you know about _that_!"

It wasn't so much that he was embarrassed by his creation, since it was a rather _effective_ technique against perverts -which possibly meant every male in Konoha-, but rather because what the Yondaime might come to think of him. While he didn't show it outwardly, he actually cared about what his precious people thought of him.

"Oh, about that… Kyuubi here told me about it when you weren't here." The Namikaze said sheepishly, hoping beyond hope that Naruto didn't see through his little white lie. While that wasn't really the actual truth, it wasn't a technically lie either since the bijuu had told him in a roundabout way by showing him Naruto's memories. It was just that he didn't want the genin to get upset over the fact that he had invaded his mind.

Naruto seemed to stare at him for a few moments, his suddenly cold blue eyes seemingly boring into his very soul before the look quickly vanished without a trace, a cheerful expression back in place, "Oh, but why's my **Oiroke no Jutsu** similar to Kyuubi's transformation?" While he knew that the dead Hokage wasn't actually lying about how he had found out about his perverted ninjutsu, something seemed…_off_ about the fastest shinobi in the world before it was quickly covered up.

"Now _that's_ an interesting story because what you did is essentially _impossible_, or was supposed to be anyways." Minato muttered, a small, proud smile on his face at his son's accomplishment.

Jutsu theory and creation had been one of his favourite aspects of being a shinobi and a field he had spent a lot of time researching, when he was still alive that is. It was one of the main causes for the **Rasengan** **(Spiral Sphere)** and the **Hiraishin no Jutsu** **(Flying Thunder God Technique_)_**, "To create the **Oiroke no Jutsu**, you effectively combined the concept behind both the **Kage Bunshin** –which is utterly mind boggling since you didn't know of the jutsu at the time- and **Henge**and as a result, made a _solid_ transformation, unlike the original technique that just creates an illusion through the manipulation of chakra."

"When a ninja uses **Henge**, their physical structure still remains the same. That means that if the shinobi were to use the technique to become girl and another person touched 'her'; that person's hand would pass right through the illusion and feel the real shinobi hiding underneath. Your technique, on the other hand, creates a sort of shell around you, almost like overlaying a **Kage Bunshin** over your entire body and changing the appearance with a **Henge**. This in effect creates a solid and completely real transformation that cannot be dispelled or detected since the chakra surrounding you would just feel like a part of your circulatory system."

Naruto nodded slightly at the explanation, understanding donning on his scarred features as he remembered all the times he had used the perverted ninjutsu on both Ebisu and the Sandaime. The blonde genin hadn't really thought of it before since it just seemed like a childish but _effective _techniques to defeat perverts, but in doing so, he had invented a supposedly impossible ninjutsu.

But wait, since it was supposed to be impossible, how the hell had he done it in the first place, "Wait, you said it was supposed to be impossible, then how did I do it when I wasn't even a genin yet?"

Minato stopped, a contemplative expression on his face before he looked at Naruto with a sheepish grin, "I actually have no idea…" The blonde Hokage deadpanned.

Naruto stood there, gawking at the older blonde's stupidity, _'And he's supposed to be a genius!? First he completely analyses my jutsu without even looking at it and then he says something so stupid…'_

To his surprise, it was Kyuubi that answered his question, **"It was possible for you because of _me_ ningen."** Looking at the blonde's surprised expression, the voluptuous red-haired demoness smirked, "**What, did you think that your healing ability was the only 'gift' you got from little old me?** **Kitsune have always been known to be shape shifters, but because you are a human, you cannot truly change forms. So your chakra did the next best thing, make you a temporary yet corporeal body that acts as a transformation."**

"So it's just another thing from you huh…" Naruto muttered sadly. He had really hoped it was something that _he_ had done _without_ the influence of the Kyuubi but it turned out it was just another side-effect from having the demon sealed inside of him.

Minato, on the other hand, was thinking of what the bijuu had just said and the possible implications, "You said that Naruto got more than just his healing ability from you, and you just told us about the shape shifting ability, but what else could he have gotten?" Even though he had designed the seals to make sure Naruto stayed safe from the demon's influence, it was the first time a fuuinjutsu of its kind had been used.

The demon just gave the dead Hokage a sharp, piercing stare and Minato slowly began to think that the demoness seemed almost_ pleased_ that he had asked the question, **"It's not that he got them from _me_, but from being exposed to my yokai since birth, although since my yokai is technically a part of me, it's a moot point. Anyways, what my yokai did was change the brat down on a _genetic_ level, the biggest effect being the unparalleled healing."**

Making sure that the two blondes paying close attention, the fox continued its lecture, **"Even though all humans have the passive ability to heal almost any wound naturally over time, my yokai has caused the process to be sped up _exponentially_, almost to the point of regeneration when my yokai is at a high enough concentration. Because of this, you could survive a fatal attack and come back out of it without a scratch."**

Both father and son looked at the bijuu with shocked amazement, to think that having a demon sealed inside one could result in such a _potent_ ability.

A melodic voice interrupted their thoughts, snapping them out of their shocked stupor as she continued, **"Added to that, you have a larger chakra capacity than any other normal shinobi or kunoichi alive and to handle the extreme strain of so much potent energy, your chakra coils have adapted to handle _any _amount of chakra. How else do you think you could mould enough chakra to create over one thousand Kage Bunshin with you horrendous control and not die from the backlash of energy?"**

Naruto winced before looking down at his hands, keen eyes taking in the all too human details. With the way the Kyuubi was talking, it felt like he wasn't even a _human_ anymore.

Minato, on the other hand, had begun glaring at the smirking kitsune, easily seeing through what she was trying to do. Killing intent poured off of his frame as glacial blue eyes stared at the fox, daring it to continue, but the conniving fox just smirked in return, not the least bit afraid from the enraged mortal, "**Basically Naruto, you are no longer a human like those fools you desperately seek the acceptance of but neither are you a true demon like me, you are _nothing_."**

Minato's glare intensified tenfold, frosty eyes promising untold horrors before he suddenly rushed towards Naruto as the boy collapsed to his knees, his anger long forgotten in his need to help his only son.

Propping the distraught boy up against his arm, Minato looked at the misty blue eyes, looking so utterly lost and alone when he heard a strange noise. Straining his ears, Minato realized that Naruto seemed to be muttering something over and over again, "They…they were right, I'm not even human, I'm nothing but a good for nothing demon, just like they said…"

"Naruto, snap out of it damn it!" Minato frantically pleaded, only for his plea to fall on deaf ears. Hearing the usually determined and unwavering genin sound so down, so _utterly_ broken brought tears to his eyes even as he valiantly tried to hold them back, not for his sake but for his son's who needed his support now more than ever, "Listen to me Naruto, do _not_ listen to that bitch. You are Uzumaki Naruto, a human being and more of a person that the fox could _ever_ be, even with her shape shifting."

Naruto didn't respond, still staring down at the wet, muddy ground of his mindscape with lost azure eyes, tears slowly trailing down his whiskered cheeks.

Growling in frustration, the Fourth took out a **Hiraishin** kunai from the pouch on his leg before slashing his hand and holding it up for Naruto to see, crimson blood slowly seeping out of the shallow wound, "Look at this, what color is my blood?"

Surprised at the sudden sight of blood, Naruto hesitantly replied, "R-Red…" It didn't even occur to him how a dead person could have blood in the first place.

Satisfied with the answer, Minato roughly grabbed Naruto's own hand before using the same kunai and making an identical slash across the blonde genin's palm. Grabbing the hand with his own bleeding palm, Minato slowly watched as the blood from both wounds slowly bled together, "And what color is your blood?"

"It's red…" Naruto muttered slightly, sapphire eyes transfixed on the two bleeding wounds as a crystalline tear fell into the slowly growing puddle of crimson liquid.

"Now tell me, what kind of _demon_ would bleed like a human, what kind of a demon would shed _tears_ of sadness for its own misery and the misery of others… The only thing that matters is what _you _believe yourself to be." Minato muttered forcefully, watching happily as the tears slowly stopped.

Naruto looked at the dead Namikaze in awe, wiping away the remainder of his tears before smiling slightly. Minato-sama was right, so what if a _demon_ said he wasn't human, as long as he _believed_ he was a human being, he would forever be one, "Thank you Minato-sama…" Naruto muttered quietly.

Minato simply smiled in return, happy to have finally helped Naruto after being missing for twelve years of his life, "Don't worry about it, just remember what I told you and don't ever forget that you are a human being."

Naruto nodded slightly in return before a thought struck him. The last time he had met the Fourth in his mindscape, he had said something about training him, so he might as well ask the man now, "Hey Minato-sama, I was wondering if you could begin teaching me, if it's not too much trouble that is…" Trailing off in the end, Naruto anxiously waited for the answer.

The Yondaime smiled, slightly nodding his head. Even though he _still_ hadn't found those two blasted brothers, he might as well start Naruto's training and get him prepared for what was to eventually come, "Sure, it's not like there's anything else to do. But just so I know what I can teach you, what have Kakashi and Jiraiya-sensei taught you so far?"

Adopting a thinking pose while causing the older blonde to giggle slightly, Naruto hummed thoughtfully as he thought of all the things Kakashi had taught him before wincing visibly, "Well, Kakashi-sensei hasn't really taught me anything other than the tree climbing exercise…"

Minato's eyes widened before they quickly settled into a darker emotion, rage. He had _really _hoped Kakashi would take care of his son, after all, the copy-cat was a _genius_, he should have _easily_ been able to put the clues together and notice that Naruto was his son. But it seemed he had put too much hope into his student.

Discarding the thoughts about his hypocritical jounin sensei, Naruto focused on what Jiraiya had taught him so far, "Well, Jiraiya-sensei on the other hand has taught me how to summon toads and I've already managed to summoned Gamabunta."

Completely oblivious to his surrounding, Naruto missed the Yondaime's look of astonishment and awe at his supposedly impossible feat before the man just shook his head in resignation. He should have figured it out by now that the blonde was a walking, taking impossibility. To Naruto, impossible was just another word that quitters used to make themselves feel better.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Minato quickly returned his attention to the jinchuuriki, "He's also taught me a taijutsu style, well, not really a _style_ per say, but how to simply _move _like a shinobi, silent and deadly. When I asked him why he wasn't teaching me an actual style, he said that forcing your body to move a certain way would only lead to weakness." Naruto explained happily, causing Minato to grin.

Jiraiya had the same attitude when he was teaching their team. They were _shinobi_, not martial artists. Why would you waste time _forcing_ your body to move in ways that it shouldn't when all you needed to know was simply how to _move_ in the most effective and efficient way possible, _'It seems like Jiraiya-sensei wants to teach Naruto the same lesson…_'

"Right now, he's training me in chakra re-composition and the comb-" The blonde however, was abruptly cut off when a loud, incessant, and above all frantic knocking sound echoed through the mindscape.

Looking around in confusion, a bewildered look crossed the jinchuuriki's face as he recognized the sound, "What the hell, who's knocking on my door!?" It had to be at _least _eleven o'clock, since he had gotten home at around eight after his meeting with Gaara.

"Well, I guess our times up for tonight." Minato said despondently, he hadn't even learnt all that much about what Jiraiya-sensei had taught his son, but it would have to wait for now.

"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto muttered sullenly, crossing his arms as his form slowly began to melt away. Why did his time always have to be interrupted? It seemed like the gods themselves liked fuck him over whenever they got a chance to.

Minato watched as his son quickly disappeared from his mindscape without even the faintest traces of effort, _'He sure is a quick learner…'_ the proud Hokage thought happily before quickly shaking himself out of his thoughts.

Turning his attention towards the demoness sealed behind the translucent black bars of the **Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment)**, Minato's eyes turning to frigid glaciers, not a trace of pity, remorse, or mercy in their sapphire depths. They were the eyes of a killer, the eyes of a Kage, the eyes a _father_, "You will pay for that Kyoko, I promise you no matter how long it takes, I _will_ make you suffer a thousand fold for the pain you have caused Naruto today."

The Kyuubi just smirked haughtily in return as she watched the imposing figure of the Fourth Hokage slowly melt away, returning to his place in the spirit world.

But her smirk instantly melted away into a frown as she felt a prickling, alien sensation against her smooth, flawless skin. The kitsune's frown widened as she realized she had no words to describe such a feeling, but she didn't enjoy it either way.

However, had Kyuubi remembered that fateful night twelve years ago when she was first sealed by the inescapable hands of the Shinigami, she would have realized that what she was feeling was _fear_.

She would come to remember it soon enough.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Blue eyes snapped awake in the strangely comforting darkness, looking around numbly for a bit before recognition shone through their sapphire orbs.

The slightly frantic yet hesitant knocking was _still _pounding away at the old, withered door of his apartment, the sound like a thousand drums hammering against his head as his chakra slowly began to flow through his coils. Jumping out of bed, Naruto slid a kunai into the palm of his hand and held it in a reverse grip behind his back, cautiously approaching the front door.

While it may have seemed a bit weird that Naruto was acting so paranoid in his very own home, you would be too if you were the despised vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The blonde had been attacked enough times in his very own home in the past twelve years of his life by 'visitors' to know that _nobody_ would want to come to his apartment unless it was either his teammates, sensei, or the Hokage.

Calming his jumping nerves, Naruto slowly turned the metallic and cold knob before swinging the door open, only to come face to face with fearful cobalt eyes twinkling in the dim light of the hallway staring back into his own surprised sapphire orbs.

Only one word escaped his mouth, floating across the chilly midnight air before slamming into the apprehensive girl's senses, "Motoko…?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Aoyama Motoko sprang up from her bed, her ashen face glistening with a cold sweat in the midnight moon, lifeless tears streaming down her pale cheeks and her breath coming out in short, shallow gasps of air. The black haired girl could hear her heart hammering away in her painfully tight chest in the dreadful silence of her apartment, panic and fear engulfing her being in the darkness.

"It was only a dream… Only a dream…" Motoko softly whispered to herself, repeating the words over and over again until her frantic breathing had finally calmed down, at least somewhat.

Sighing deeply to calm her nerves, Motoko quietly got out of her bed and made her way towards the bathroom, the dream replaying in her head as clear as the day it happened.

Cold hazel eyes, filled with brutal joy and lust glared down at her naked form, silent tears of resignation and sorrow quietly streaming down her own cheeks at her situation even as needles of disgusting and repulsive pleasure shot through her spine. What had she ever done to deserve this? Wasn't she a nice person, always helping those around her? Kami had already taken away her precious people, why did he have to take her very innocence too?

But then _he_ came, feral red eyes exploding with killing intent and rage as he gazed upon her abused form with sorrow, the very hand of God bringing unholy vengeance down upon her captor, his wicked soul rent to pieces underneath the power of her liberator.

Then those demonic red eyes had _changed_, becoming an innocent sapphire that simply _radiated _with compassion and joy, eyes of a boy that had taken her into his home and given her another chance at life itself and for that, she would be forever grateful to him.

Strangely, this was the first time Motoko had been awakened by the same dream the raven haired beauty had been having ever since her second day in Konoha. The only reason she had been free from her torturous nightmare the very first day was because she was too tired from her journey to even _think_ about dreaming.

Not even bothering to flip the light switch on, Motoko quickly turned the cold water tap on, letting the cool feeling wash over her clammy palms before splashing it on her sweaty and tear stained face. A sign of relief unconsciously escaped her sensually parted lips at the calming sensation, her fears slowly melting away and swirling down the drain with the crystal clear water before the cobalt-eyed girl whirled around at a loud 'thump'.

Adrenaline pumped through Motoko's veins, her still somewhat drowsy mind instantly becoming alert as her entire body went into overdrive. Senses were heightened beyond human normalcy, reaction time became ten folds faster, and her pupils contracted painfully at the sudden surge of adrenal enzymes.

But only darkness greeted her widened eyes. Heart still pounding away in her chest, Motoko turned back around, only for a strangled scream to tear its way through her throat as lustful and nightmarish hazel eyes glared back into her own petrified cobalt orbs.

Motoko quickly back peddled, falling on her round butt in her fearful scampering to get away from the mirror as the image to slowly disappear from existence, only her own dilated eyes staring back at her from the glossy surface. Quickly deciding that she couldn't stay here anymore, the frightened girl jumped up to her feet and darted out of her bathroom, only to stop as she realized she had no other place to go.

_'W-What if I ask Naruto-sama…' _Motoko quietly asked herself after a moment of contemplation. Surely he would let her stay in his home, at least for the night. Her already unshakable belief in the blonde haired genin's kindness had only risen in the past month and a half she had spent in Konoha. There were literally no limits Naruto wouldn't break just to make his precious people happy, even after the way the other villagers simply _looked _at him, hateful eyes filled with loathing and resentment for reason's she couldn't even hope to fathom.

Not five minutes later did Motoko find herself standing in the dimly lit hallway, barefoot and clad in only her light lilac silk nightgown that cascaded down her perfect figure like flowing water.

Shuffling slightly from foot to foot in front of Naruto's door and nervously fiddled with the hem of her silk clothing, the anxious girl unconsciously bit her tantalizing red lips before hesitantly raising a delicate hand, only to put it down again as her doubts resurfaced, _'But he's probably sleeping already… What if he starts thinking of me as a nothing but a burden…?'_

Sighing lightly, Motoko took her hand away from the wooden surface of the door and let it slump by her side. She would never let herself be a burden to Naruto-sama, even if she had to spend the rest of the night in her own apartment, sleepless and wide awake, she would do it, if only to not be a burden to someone who had already done so _much_ for her.

But…but what if she was _wrong_? Naruto-sama would never think twice about helping a precious person, and she was pretty sure that while she wasn't exactly on his list _yet_, she was still pretty damn close. Why else would he go through all the trouble with Hokage-sama and the rest of the villagers to help her?

Nodding to herself in reassurance, Motoko quietly knocked on the door, her delicate knuckles softly rapping against the wooden frame in a rhythmic resonance before she stopped. A few moments passed where only the soft sound of her breathing greeted her ears before Motoko reached upwards and knocked again, harder this time as the slightly louder sound echoed through the deserted corridors in eerie resonance.

The sound of shuffling sheets caught her attention before everything went silent once again. Her doubts slowly returned but only for a second as the door swung open, the rusty hinges creaking slightly even as a surprised Naruto greeted her curiously, eyes alight in surprise and clad in nothing but orange boxer's depicting foxes and frogs and his blonde mop of hair even more chaotic than usual, "Motoko…?" Naruto quietly whispered, vulpine eyes squinting foxily from the sudden light and a faint crimson suddenly coating his whiskered cheeks.

She was dressed in what looked like a silk nightgown, a light purple color that _beautifully_ accentuated her dark eyes and hair. The gown itself looked like flowing water, flowing over her form and heightening her already voluptuous curves. The strange water-like material glistened slightly in the sparse lighting and Naruto valiantly tried to resist the urge to reach out and feel the clothing against his skin.

Motoko blushed, a cute, rosy tint coating her cheeks as she looked at his defined torso, "I-I was wondering if I could s-stay the night with…you Naruto-sama…" Motoko muttered, her voice filled with thinly veiled hope.

Blinking owlishly at the sudden and strange request from _Motoko_ of all people, Naruto took a moment for his thoughts to sort themselves out, the most predominant of them being why would she want to spend the night at _his_ apartment?

Surely something had to have happened to cause this, but then again, he knew when people wanted to keep things a secret even if they desperately wished to tell _anyone_ of their burden.

Naruto himself had been in that position many times in his life after finding out the truth about the Kyuubi no Youko. He couldn't even remember how many times he had just wanted to blurt his secret out to the world, his friends, and teammates despite the consequences. Granted, he could break the rule without getting into _too_ much trouble since the secret _was_ about him, but it would still cause quite a bit of problems, both for him and his oji-san.

Just by looking into her downcast eyes, the demonic genin could tell that Motoko didn't want to worry him with her own problems. Besides, he could always ask her about it later, but until _she_ was ready to tell him, it would have to wait.

"Sure… Come on in, I guess…" Smiling sleepily as Motoko's face lit up in gratitude, Naruto quickly stepped away from the entrance and let her inside before closing the door, locking it in the process with a soft 'click'.

Motoko looked around the sparse apartment, her eyes taking in the various photo's lining the white walls and the assorted rooms.

There was a living room almost directly in front of her, a quaint television near the far wall with a small coffee table standing in front of it. A three person couch was facing the television and a tiny stand was beside it, a small vase holding glistening light blue flowers on top.

On her left was a regular looking kitchen, complete with a fridge, a stove, cupboards, and a microwave. The sink had a small, ceramic dish in it, but other than that, the place was relatively clean despite the fact that it was owned by a twelve year old boy that lived alone.

As Motoko continued to curiously look around, Naruto stood beside her, an expression of relief on his whiskered face. Thank Kami he had been able to get his apartment patched up and cleaned in the last month and a half, so while it didn't look like a place fit for the Hokage, it didn't look like the dump it used to be either. Besides, with the help of **Kage Bunshin**, it hadn't really taken him all that long to complete the repairs, even if he did do them by himself.

Snapping out of his thoughts, the barely dressed Uzumaki looked up to see Motoko staring at him with doe-like eyes, curiosity shining in their depths with just the hints of genuine concern, "I guess I should show you where you'll be sleeping…" Grinning sheepishly, Naruto led her down a small hallway and towards the door at the end.

Shooting the blonde a grateful look and unknowingly causing him to smile warmly, Motoko followed Naruto as he led her through his apartment, her eyes once again fixated on the various photos lining the walls.

The first was of a kind looking man, probably in his early twenties with scar going across the bridge of his nose and a hand on Naruto's shoulders in a warm, fatherly gesture. A large grin was on his face which was easily mirrored by the blonde beside him.

Although one thing she _did_ find strange and disturbingly frightening was what Naruto was wearing, a horrendous gaudy orange and blue jumpsuit that hurt her eyes just from looking at it for a few seconds, _'Thank Kami he stopped wearing that…'_

The next one was of a smiling Hokage and a younger Naruto sitting on his shoulders. The blonde looked to be around five or six; a large grin was splitting his face and innocent sapphire eyes scrunched up in happiness as he looked at the village surrounding him.

Motoko smiled gently as she burnt the image into her mind, her eyes trailing the soft and innocent features of his whiskered face before realizing that Naruto had stopped.

Grinning slightly as Motoko owlishly stared at the sign on his door that read 'Throne Of The Uzumaki', Naruto quickly opened the door in front of him and led her inside, "Well, this is my room, I know its kinda messy but, well, you know…"

Nodding inattentively, curious cobalt eyes looked around the room. The bed was in the far right corner beside a large open window a calm yet chilly breeze slowly wafting inside and cooling the entire room. A dresser was against the left wall, a small vase filled with flowers and a frame holding a photo on top.

A few clothes were strewn all around on the floor, along with a few empty instant ramen cups and scrolls filled with writing, but other than that it was still pretty clean all things considered.

Still standing near the door, Naruto watched as Motoko slowly looked around his room before turning to him, a small smile of happiness gracing her lips before she suddenly crossed the floor and grabbed him in a gentle hug.

Her delicate arms wrapped around his naked torso, giving him a soft, gentle squeeze filled with gratitude, "I just want to thank you for letting my stay here Naruto-sama…" Motoko whispered, but her eyes suddenly turned downcast as she remembered why she was here in the first place, "…and I promise I won't be too much of a burden …"

Warmth unlike ever felt before exploded through Naruto, flooding through his chest like a tsunami of hellfire before reaching his face and burning his cheeks a light pink.

Sparks of lightning danced across his bare skin and up his spine wherever her gentle touch stroked; her mere presence as soothing and as comforting as the first day they met, "You can never be a burden to me Motoko-chan. Besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't even let you sleep over when you needed too?" Naruto whispered softly, his own exposed arms encircling around her before squeezing lightly.

Motoko basked in the unnatural warmth of the blonde's body, her own form melting in his strong and supportive arms before she reluctantly let go, a soft blush on her porcelain cheeks as she looked shyly at her feet.

Letting go of her, Naruto looked up and was suddenly reminded of the shy Hyuuga heiress, lavender hair cascading down her back like a curtain of silk and lilac pearl-like eyes timidly looking down. Some part of his unconscious psyche found the look utterly _adorable_. 

"Anyways, I guess I should get going…" Turning around, Naruto walked to the door before stopping and looking over his shoulder, "Good night Motoko."

Motoko simply smiled in return as Naruto shut the door with a nearly inaudible 'click'.

Taking a spare sheet from his bathroom closet, Naruto sleepily walked into his living room before collapsing on the plush couch. He wasn't really all that tired physically, but it was more of a mental thing. First his meeting with the psychotic Gaara, then the episode with the Kyuubi and now Motoko suddenly coming over for no apparent reason, it had really done a number on his mind at an emotional level.

But now, he could just kick back and _sleep_ soundly for a solid eight hours, at least before he had to wake up and go meet his team. Kakashi was probably going to give them a few D-rank missions then do some 'team' building exercises before disappearing out of existence to go to god knows where.

Yawning quietly, Naruto snuggled into his sheets and closed his eyes, letting the gritty hands of the Sand Man enclose around his mind and leave behind his mortal body.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A gentle humming pulled Naruto from his sleep even as he valiantly tried to stay blissfully asleep. His shinobi instincts tugged at his mind, unrelenting in their duty to alert him of any potential danger as Naruto slowly gave in and blearily opened his sapphire orbs.

Pushing himself up from the slightly uncomfortable couch, Naruto watched, slightly detached from the world around him as the blanket fell off of his shoulders and pooled in his lap. Snapping out of his reverie, Naruto turned around to face the strange and unfamiliar noise.

Motoko stood in his kitchen, quietly humming a tune to herself and still dressed in her lilac silk nightgown with a light blue negligee wrapped around her frame.

Naruto's sleepy eyes widened slightly as he stared at her ethereal form, her cheerful features simply _glowing _with a heavenly light from the sun that was radiating through the open window. The breezy wind blew through her hair, raven locks framing her flawless face and eyes like molten sapphire.

His eyes slowly trailed down her unblemished face, past the captivating red lips and down to her perfect chest. _They_ were even more noticeable than usual; the tight blue apron was firmly hugging the mounds of supple flesh, causing them to perk up noticeable while also supporting them to create a simply awe inspiring effect. He wouldn't have been able to find more _perfect_ tits even if he became a hermit -like a _certain _sage- and spent the rest of his life looking for them.

_'Hehe, tits…'_

Naruto watched on, eyes transfixed as Motoko happily hopped around the kitchen, her healthy assets merrily jiggling in their tight confines from each little movement she made only to bounce back a second later.

Only one thought crossed Naruto's sleep and lust hazed mind, _'God damn do I wish I had the Sharingan right now…'_ And why wouldn't he want it? He could _instantly_ burn the image into his mind, never to be forgotten for as long as he lived with nothing but a single _glance_ instead of staring like a retarded puppy.

His captivated eyes trailed down her smooth stomach landing on her firm and round ass as Motoko sensually turned around, fiddled with something on the counter, only to seemingly give up a moment later with a heavy sigh and return to the pot on the stove.

Her long, bare, and luscious legs easily carried her over to the stove where she began to stir a steaming pot of _something_. Taking a small sip from the spoon in her soft hand, a bright grin bloomed onto Motoko's face before she returned to her cooking, her firm, defined butt facing Naruto's glossy eyes.

Naruto shivered, a slight tingle of pleasure running up his spine as he stared at her ass. His entire body seemed to be on autopilot as he got up off of the couch without a sound, shinobi stealth abilities ingrained into his very being unconsciously coming to the forefront of his mind to help their master in his task.

The blonde's feet seemed to carry him towards the kitchen as he quietly approached Motoko's humming form. Both of his hands instinctively reached out towards her heart shaped rear and began making small, grabbing motions in the air, _'Only a few more feet, all I need to go is just a few more measly feet …'_

But just as he was about to grab her round rear, Naruto's conscious mind seemed to return from its lost abyss of lust and desire and the perverted jinchuuriki leapt back, mentally slapping himself in the process before taking a deep breath to regain his bearings, _'Stupid Jiraiya and his stupid, addictive Icha Icha. Damn things are making me a pervert…'_

"Motoko? What are you doing in my kitchen?" Naruto muttered, a small questioning grin on his face as he valiantly pushed the last of his perverted thoughts into the deepest recesses of his mind with a supreme force of will. After all, he didn't want to get rid of them, just file them away for later 'use'.

Motoko whirled around at the sudden and unexpected noise, one manicured hand on her pronounced chest while the other grabbed the counter behind her to steady herself, "Oh Naruto-sama, it's just you…" Motoko said, a smile blossoming on her face, "I'm making breakfast."

Naruto raised a golden eyebrow, honestly surprised that Motoko could cook. Well, it should have been obvious since the midnight haired girl had been living by herself for the past month and a half, and unlike him, he doubted most people could just survive off of ramen.

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble Motoko, I usually just go to Ichiraku Ramen every morning." Naruto muttered with a small smile on his face.

"It's no trouble Naruto-sama, it's the least I can do for you after you let me stay here for the night _and _sleep on your bed." Besides, from the way Naruto-sama lived, she doubted anyone had _ever_ made him a nice, warm home cooked meal to enjoy.

Shrugging in acceptance, Naruto took a whiff of the steam wafting away from the boiling bowl, a small amount of drool escaping through the sides of his mouth as the absolutely irresistible aroma of cooked noodles, various herbs and chicken hit his sensitive nose, "Is that ramen!?"

Motoko happily gave a decisive nod as she returned her attention to the simmering pot, smiling widely as a grin split across his whiskered cheeks. She knew how much the blonde loved his ramen from his various trips to the ramen bar each and every day, and what better way to thank him that by making his favourite dish?

So while Motoko cooked the ramen, Naruto decided that the least he could do was help out where ever he could.

Reaching into a nearby cupboard, the hungry jinchuuriki pulled out two newly cleaned bowls and a couple of chopsticks from the dressers below. Setting them down on the table, he quickly poured two glasses of milk just as Motoko took the pot off the slowly cooling burner and placed it in the middle of the dining table, "Food's ready!"

Jumping into his chair, Naruto leaned back with a content sigh as his form melted into the soft cushions as Motoko poured him a generous portion of ramen. Idly watching as she poured her own share before placing her firm, round butt on her own cushioned chair, the slightly aroused demon vessel broke part his chopsticks with a sharp 'crack', rolling a few broth soaked noodles onto the sticks of wood before carefully placing them in his mouth.

Seconds seemed to pass by like hours as Naruto rolled the noodles around in his mouth, Motoko anxiously watching on from the other side of the fairly large table before the blonde seemed to look up, sapphire eyes twinkling in unyielding joy as he gave her a brief thumbs up before digging in at unsurpassable speeds.

It was freaking _delicious_!

_'Not even Ichiraku Ramen is this good…!'_ Well, that was stretching the truth a bit, but it was still just the _slightest_ bits better than the ramen that Ayame and Teuchi made for him on a daily basis.

The bowl lay empty in front of the satisfied and content blonde not a minute later while Motoko's cobalt eyes blanketed in astonishment looking into his own aqua orbs. She knew she had a gift when it came to cooking, no matter how small, but with the way Naruto had completely _demolished _her ramen almost made it seem like it was his last meal.

Naruto's eyes crinkled happily as he stared at Motoko, "Ahh, now _that_ was awesome!" Motoko simply smiled in response, happy that he had enjoyed her cooking when a thought struck her. Maybe she could cook for him more often, not only would it let her spend more time with Naruto-sama, but it would also let him enjoy a nice, home cooked meal every once in a while instead of just sodium enriched noodles.

Seriously, with the amount of ramen Naruto ate, it was amazing that he wasn't suffering from severe malnutrition, a strange fact that still baffled Motoko. From what she had seen, that was practically all the blonde ate yet he suffered absolutely _no_ side-effects. Then again, it _could_ explain his 'stunted' growth, but that could also just mean that Naruto was a late bloomer.

Unknown to both her and the rest of the village, it was also a direct result of having had the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed inside of him since birth. The kitsune's yokai was extremely potent, much more so than any human alive, shinobi or otherwise. And since small tendrils of concentrated yokai had been filtering through the seal and into the jinchuuriki's own system since he was a little over five, not only did it make Naruto's own chakra slightly more potent, it also greatly increased his innate healing ability.

This in turn supercharged his immune system, along with the rest of the blonde's bodily functions, including his natural senses. As a result, Naruto would never get sick for as long as he lived, was immune to all but the most virulent of poisons and his heightened metabolism could _easily_ take care of all that extra sodium while at the same time keeping him healthy despite his malnourished lifestyle.

The only thing the fox's yokai _couldn't_ take care of was his stunted growth, because even though the yokai could remove unwanted substances and even support Naruto's body for a short duration, it could not create other matter, which in this case was calcium.

Since Naruto only ate ramen even early on in his life, his bones did not get the needed calcium to grow properly and thus it resulted in his stunted growth.

Meanwhile, Motoko had snapped out of her thoughts and quietly dug into her slightly cool ramen with all the grace and dignity of a refined lady. Naruto on the other hand made himself useful once again and cleaned up the kitchen before walking out and into his bedroom.

A few minutes passed before Motoko got up and quickly washed her own dishes as Naruto came back from his bedroom, fully dressed this time in brand new black pants, black shirt, and his crimson vest, "Hey Motoko, I have to go meet my team now so will you be okay by yourself?" Naruto questioned curiously. Motoko was stilled dressed in her light lilac silk nightgown, having taken off the apron once the ramen had been done. She couldn't really go with him dressed in _that_, and he doubted Kakashi would even let her stay since she was a civilian.

"I'll be fine Naruto-sama, I just need to do some errands today but that's about it."

Naruto stared at her for a moment before smiling, "Aah, I guess I should get going now. Bye Motoko…" Opening his front door, the blonde quickly vanished around the corner; cobalt eyes happily watching him go for a moment before snapping out of their trance.

Walking out the open door herself, Motoko locked the door behind her before fishing out her own keys and walking into her apartment, her eyes instantly drawn to the sparse and empty looking room, _'I really need to go look for a job, Hokage-sama's been generously paying my rent and weekly costs but even that can't last forever.'_

Nodding firmly, cobalt eyes shone with determination as Motoko walked towards her bathroom, intent on taking a shower before heading out to look for a job. Her skin was still feeling slightly gritty and 'dirty' from the terrifying dream the night before.

Besides, it would be a good idea to look her best for her hopefully soon to be employer, _'I wonder if that flower shop still has that opening…'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto stepped into his team's usual training grounds, a blonde eyebrow raised in curiosity at the strange and unusual sight.

Sakura was sitting near the three wooden stumps as usual, a look of utter awe and admiration on her face as she stared at Sasuke. Naruto idly wondered what a girl could see in the teme, but quickly squashed the thought as a particularly _painful_ memory hit him. He had once asked all the soon to be kunoichi the same question back in the Academy and the results weren't pleasant to say the least.

Not only had they shrieked each and every single reason why Sasuke was the best into his ears until they bled, but they had also taken turns beating him for _daring _to question their Sasuke-kun's undeniable greatness. Sometimes, when he was alone at night and had nothing else to do, Naruto idly wondered what would happen to the village if all the kunoichi turned into rapid fan girls instead of focusing on their training like actual ninja.

Sasuke, on the other hand, stood further off, sweat glistening off of his face and twin two tomoe Sharingan spinning slowly in his crimson orbs.

The unusual part was that Kakashi-sensei was already there, standing in front of Sasuke with an air of indifference, "That's enough for now Sasuke, Naruto's here and I need to tell the three of you something important."

Shrugging it off as one of Kami's tiny, once in a lifetime miracles, the blonde strode his way towards the rest of his teammates as Kakashi casually walked over to them, "Hey Sakura-chan, teme…"

Turning surprised eyes towards her late teammate, a vein popped up on Sakura's forehead, a fist raised above her head in preparation for the upcoming beating, "Naruto-baka! You're even later than Kakashi-sensei today! _You _might not have anything to do with your time, but Sasuke-kun and I can't always waste our time waiting for you!"

Naruto sweat dropped at the sudden explosion of rage from his emerald eyed teammate, hands up in a placating gesture as he tried to apologize, _'Jeez, maybe she has that weird disease I read about once from all her mood swings… What was it, oh yeah, Multiple Personality Disorder."_

The blonde however was saved from the enraged kunoichi's wrath as an amused Kakashi spoke up, his single uncovered eye scrunched up in amusement, "Now that I have your attention, we can proceed. This might be sudden, but I know you three might be glad to hear, especially you Naruto."

Perking up at the sudden interest from his sensei, Naruto listened closely as the tardy scarecrow continued, "I've nominated you guys for the Chuunin Selection exams. Here are the applications that you need to sign."

Reaching into one of the pockets on his vest, Kakashi pulled out three forms and three pens before handing it to his surprised students, "Now this is just the nomination, whether you want to go to the exam or not is completely up to you. Those who wish to take the exam can sign these papers and turn them in at the Academy in room 301 at 1 o'clock pm. That's about it for today, so I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Both Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes widened at the sudden announcement before identical grins split their faces -well more like a smirk on Sasuke's-, not at all bothered that they had only been given a day to prepare for one of the most important days of their lives.

"Whoa, I can't believe Kakashi-sensei actually nominated us for the Chuunin Exams…" Turning a disbelieving eye towards his blonde haired teammate, Sasuke scoffed once before looking back down at his form, anticipation shining in his now raven black eyes.

"Che, why _wouldn't_ he nominate us dobe? You and Sakura might not be great ninja, but he knows I can make up for the slack." Sasuke by now was smirking as he noticed the small tick appearing above the blonde's eyebrow.

Although Sasuke would _never_ admit it, even under pain of death, but the blonde had gained at least a modicum of his respect ever since they had graduated from the Academy.

On top of that, he actually kind of enjoyed these verbal spars he had with Naruto. While they were nowhere _near_ as fun as the actual full out fights they had now that Naruto could more than hold his own against him, they were still none the less refreshing. It was one of the few times he could just lose himself, mind, body and soul in insults and name-calling and simply forget all his troubles, at least for that single, blissful moment.

But on the other hand, that _did_ raise the question of how Naruto, the dead last of the Academy, was gaining enough power to actually prove to be a challenge against_ him_, Uchiha Sasuke, genius of the Uchiha Clan and the sole survivor from that fateful day. Maybe he was secretly being trained by someone else…

Sasuke smirked at the thought, as if Naruto of all people could actually get someone powerful enough take an interest in him, _'It doesn't matter, now that Naruto is stronger, it will push me to go further when we spar and as long I can gain power, nothing else matters.'_

After all, Konoha and its people were nothing more than a means to an end, and in the end, that was all that mattered.

_The Next Day…_

Naruto walked into the front yard of the Academy, strangely the first of his team there and a nostalgic smile on his whiskered face, his sapphire blue eyes gazing around in wonder. It seemed almost surreal to think that almost eight months had passed since he had last been in the there, walking in late with a smile on his face as Iruka angrily reprimanded him, only to smile a second later and invite him to some ramen.

His eyes slowly trailed around the clearing, taking in the other applicants from all the other elemental countries before they landed on a lone swing in the middle of the glade, the rusty hinges still creaking with the inescapable passage of time as a breezy summer wind flew through the arid sky.

The blonde jinchuuriki slowly walked up to the swing, a gentle hand reaching out and stroking the metallic chains as he lost himself in the lonely memories of times long past, his azure orbs losing their shine as he thought of his miserable childhood.

Back then, he had been nothing more than the unwanted pariah of Konoha, a relic of the past and a wretchedly lone child forced into a life of heart wrenching solitude and isolation because of things beyond his control.

He used to spend hours simply sitting on the swing, his one true friend in this cold and lonely world as he watched the other children of his class run to their families and their friends, naïve smiles on their innocent faces while he sat there alone, silently writhing in his own misery and envious resentment.

But then he would remember his oji-san's words, ringing with age and wisdom honed through countless years of heartache and sadness, _'What will feeling sorry for yourself accomplish Naruto? If you want their acknowledgment, get up on your own two feet and make them recognize you for who you are.'_

Pure unbridled determination would shine in his misty azure eyes before he would _ruthlessly_ push down the tears and get up from the unstable swing; the very Will of Fire Konoha was so famous and above all _feared_ for throughout the elemental countries personified in his tiny form.

Nothing would stand in his way of recognition and acceptance, _nothing_. It didn't matter that he had no parents of friends, it didn't matter that he would be lonely and hated for the rest of his life for reasons he couldn't even begin to understand, –maybe he had deserved it, maybe he didn't, who _cares_- as long as he had himself and the will to succeed no matter what, nothing would be able to stop him and his dreams, come hell or high water.

"Naruto damn it, snap out of it! We're going to be late because of you!" Cerulean eyes snapped open in surprise at the sudden and abrupt noise before Naruto whirled around, coming face to face with an irate Sakura and detached Sasuke. Hell, Armageddon itself could knock on his door and the bastard wouldn't even flinch in surprise.

Taking a few seconds to look around in confusion, realization donned on the demon vessel's face as he remembered where he was, "Oh, right, the Chuunin Exam's, hey Sakura-chan, Sasuke, ready to go?" Smiling sheepishly, Naruto watched as Sakura nodded her head, sighing with a certain amount of resignation at her teammate's otherworldly stupidity. Even though Naruto had changed on the outside, some things would always be the same.

All three members of Team 7 walked inside, quickly climbing up a single flight of stairs before coming to a scene of controlled chaos.

Hundreds of genin were standing in the large hallway, various headbands adorning their foreheads and biceps while they waited to go through the door. They would have been through already if it hadn't been for the two genin 'guarding' the door labelled 301.

All three genin watched on as a horrendously dressed genin from Konoha hit the ground with a thud, bruises littered his face and a dribble of blood was oozing out of his mouth, "Feh, you kids plan to take the Chuunin Exam like that? You and your team should just quit right now and save yourselves the trouble…"

His interest now peaked, Naruto watched on as the only girl of the team hesitantly stepped forward, her demeanor absolutely _screaming_ insecurity and fear, "Please let us through…" Naruto could distinctly remember seeing her at the Academy before, but for the life of him he couldn't remember her name. All he knew was that she was a year older than him and that her father owned a shinobi's clothing and weapon shop, or something like that.

She had a medium build, not too bulky yet not to skinny either, it was _ideal_ for an athletic kunoichi for a lack of better word. A pink Chinese style shirt with darker coloured pants adorned her lithe and taut frame with dark brown haired tied up in two buns on top of her head.

_'Hehe, she almost looks like a panda…'_ Naruto stopped at the sudden and completely unexpected thought; where the hell had _that _come from. Shrugging slightly, the blonde wrote it off as a lack of sleep due to the strange and emotionally unsteadying events of last night.

Seriously, he hadn't been able to get a _minute_ of sleep after Motoko had unexpectedly arrived at the front door of his apartment in the middle of the night.

Naruto was broken from his musings however, as the cerise haired girl of his team spoke up, her voice holding a slight hesitant and worried quality that seemed just _wrong_ coming from the normally outgoing and brash kunoichi, "Hey guys, isn't this only the second floor? I mean, we only went up one flight of stairs from the main floor so how could that be room 301…?"

Both the boys blinked once, then twice before looking towards the each other, identical expressions of disbelief on their features, "I think she's right…" Sasuke muttered, a vaguely incredulous tone coating his normally monotonous voice.

It was then that Sasuke noticed the slight tingling sensation edging along his bare skin, easily recognizable to his honed senses as the subtle caress of a chakra induced illusion, "It's an illusion, they're trying to weed out the weaker teams from taking the exam."

Sakura nodded her head in acceptance while Naruto frowned dejectedly, still not knowing what they were talking about. But hey, if both his teammates said there was a genjutsu, then there was one. Not only did Sasuke have the all seeing Sharingan, Kakashi-sensei had once said Sakura had a talent for illusionary techniques.

"So what should we do?" Since genjutsu certainly wasn't one of his strong points, so it was better to leave the decision up to either Sakura or the teme.

"I think we should just go on because this will take out the weaker teams from the exam."

Both Naruto and even Sasuke nodded at the advice although he desperately wanted to show off to these pathetic shinobi. His time with Kakashi had not only made him stronger, but it had also taught him how to take proper advantage of a situation to make it better for himself. Besides, there was no doubt that Sakura was the smartest member of the team and going against her now could easily shatter her new found confidence, no matter how little it was.

Quietly going back the way they had come from and missing the knowing look pass between the disguised chuunin, all three teammates quickly ran up the stairs to the third floor only to come face to face with the horrendously dressed genin from before, "Eh, what the hell? Wasn't he just downstairs with the other two?" Naruto said, unknowingly speaking everyone's thoughts.

The other genin seemed to ignore him as he took up a strange fighting stance, one hand behind his back while the other was in front of him with the palm facing inwards. The rest of his body was turned sideways at a near ninety degree angle with one foot behind the other, "I am Rock Lee, the beautiful green beast of Konoha and you must be Uchiha Sasuke. Will you fight me, right here, right now?"

Sasuke blinked at the strange request from the weird looking boy before a smirk crossed his lips took another good look at the genin's appearance, '_Who does this guy think he is challenging me to a fight?' _

The boy wore an atrocious full body green spandex suit -which looked even _worse_ than the orange jumpsuit Naruto used to wear- with an elongated red headband used as a makeshift belt. Both of his hands were wrapped in plain white medical bandages all the way up to the elbows and orange leg warmers covered the bottom half of his legs.

But the most surprising feature was the genin's eyebrows which looked more like hairy caterpillar's feasting on his forehead. That, and his eyes, strangely round orbs overflowing with rock hard determination and an unparallel strength of will.

"You want to fight me even though you know what clan I'm from?" The incredulous tone in the Uchiha's voice only caused the self proclaimed green beast of Konoha to frown. He would show him that you could beat a genius with hard work.

"Yes, I want to fight you." Muttered Lee, slightly tightening his stance in preparation, "I want to see just how far I and my hard earned techniques will go against the genius prodigy of the Uchiha Clan. If I defeat you, it will prove that hard work can defeat a born genius."

Then Lee seemed to smile, a sparkle entering his round eyes as he gazed past Sasuke and at the suddenly horrified Sakura, "And to also gain the beautiful Sakura-san's eternal love!"

"W-What did he just s-say…?" The pink haired kunoichi muttered quietly, her pale face shaded with just a tinge of green. Off to the side, Naruto looked at the girl with something akin to pity while desperately trying to hold in his laughter. Seriously, that was one of the funniest things he had _ever_ heard!

"Even though you know who I am, you still want to fight me. Hn, your funeral…" Sliding into his own taijutsu stance, Sasuke charged at the stoic boy and threw a punch which was easily blocked by Lee.

Planting his hands onto the ground, Sasuke flipped himself upside down and into a hand stand as his leg shot out towards the spandex wearing boy's stomach, only for Lee to duck under the kick and sweep the Uchiha off of his hands before his leg blazed forward, catching the Uchiha in the stomach and throwing him back from the sheer force of the blow.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed as both Naruto and the emerald eyed genin gaped at the short exchange. Sasuke's unmoving form flew through the air before hitting the ground and sliding to a complete stop.

A few moments passed in tense silence before Sasuke slowly got up, cradling his bruised abdomen and a painful grimace on his face before it morphed into a smirk, "Hehe, fine… I really didn't plan on using this against you, but I guess I have to now. At least it gives me a chance to practice before the exam…"

Raven black eyes snapped open as crimson slowly swirled inwards; overtaking the midnight black as two black tomoe emerged from the blood like pool of red.

Sakura gasped as she looked into his crimson eyes, a light blush coating her cheeks from the sheer awe she was experiencing, "The Sharingan… Sasuke-kun is so incredible, if that's that same bloodline limit Kakashi-sensei has, then Sasuke-kun should be able to read the freak's movements."

"Ninjutsu or genjutsu, it doesn't matter what kind of jutsu it is, these eyes of mine will see right through it." His confidence returned, Sasuke rushed towards the unmoving Lee while Sakura cheered him on.

"Go Sasuke-kun! You can't lose to this g- Huh…!?" Emerald green eyes widened in horror as the love of her life once again flew into the air. The spandex clad genin bent backwards at an impossible level as his sandaled foot blasted forward and collided with Sasuke's chin with the force of a tank.

"Yes, my techniques are neither genjutsu nor ninjutsu. Rather… **Kage Buyo (Shadow Leaf Dance)**" Lee seemed to disappear from view, only to reappear behind the still flying Sasuke with naught but a whisper, "My techniques are simply taijutsu. You may not believe it because it seems so simple but even though your Sharingan can see through all chakra induced ninjutsu and illusionary technique, taijutsu is a little different."

The bindings around the bowl cut genin's arms unravelled before wrapping around the unmoving form of Sasuke, their unrelenting grip squeezing painfully as the air from his lungs was slowly crushed out from the pressure, "Even if your _eyes_ can read my bodies movement, your _body_ does not have the required speed to react to my movements. Basically, even if your eyes can see it, your body can't move thus making your eyes useless."

"There exists two type of people among shinobi like us, genius types and hard working types. If the Sharingan makes you a genius because of your Uchiha blood, then I am simply a hard working type that has only mastered taijutsu. And I'll prove it with this technique…" Lee's narrowed eyes suddenly seemed to glow with unrelenting determination, an undying wish to simply prove his worth to the doubting world as he grabbed the petrified Sasuke's covered shoulders, "…that hard work surpasses a genius! I win…"

But before the determined genin could complete his move, a swirling pinwheel cut through the air and sliced through the bandages wrapped around Sasuke, "That's enough Lee!"

A red and yellow turtle exploded into the room with a blast of opaque smoke, his expression twisted into one of anger as he glared at the two boys in the air.

Lee landed on the ground in a seamless crouch, staring at the turtle with something akin to a pained grimace and eyes fixated on the ground while Sakura ran towards the still free-falling Uchiha, "Sasuke-kun!"

Diving forward, the cherry blossom caught the trembling form of Sasuke, near panic in her eyes as she stared at his pale and sweaty face, "Are you alright Sasuke-kun? He didn't hurt you did he?" Her frantic questions did nothing as Sasuke seemed to stare forward with unseeing eyes, the coveted Sharingan having long since disappeared, _'He's so shaken up he didn't even try to protect himself from the fall…'_

Even Sakura couldn't believe what she had just witnessed, Sasuke, _the_ Uchiha Sasuke, genius of the nearly extinct Uchiha Clan and Rookie of the Year had just gotten _owned_, not defeated, utterly _destroyed_ in a bout of taijutsu by a clan less genin.

"Lee! You know that technique is forbidden!" Scolded the turtle, causing the bowl cut genin to wince, "But… But I wasn't planning on using the other one…" Lee pleaded pitifully.

Meanwhile, Naruto snapped out of his shock induced stupor at the strange and slightly surreal series of events when his sensitive hearing caught two distinct footsteps. Turning around slightly to look over his shoulder, blue eyed widened imperceptibly in surprise as the bun haired girl from before and a pale-eyed boy walked up to him, "So what did Lee get himself into this time?" The bun haired girl muttered, a slightly resigned undertone to her smooth voice.

"He kicked Sasuke's ass and now he's getting scolded by a turtle of all things…" Let it never said that Uzumaki Naruto was not a blunt little mother.

The pale-eyed boy that eerily reminded him of Hinata frowned, "Fate had already dictated that the Uchiha would not be able to beat a genin one year his senior. He was foolish to challenge an opponent that he could never hope to defeat."

Naruto frowned at the condescending and superior tone in the boy's voice, he had just met him and he already didn't like him. Just the way the older genin _talked_ rubbed him the wrong way.

Even if he _was _related to Hinata, they were nothing alike. While the lavender haired heiress had a calming and gentle presence, this boy's form simply _radiated_ contained resentment and self-centred superiority.

Off to the side, Sakura had finally managed to half drag the now fully lucid Sasuke to stand beside their remaining member, "I think we should get going Naruto, the exam should be starting soon and those two freaks are really starting to creep me out."

"Hehe, I know what you mean…" The jinchuuriki muttered, his whiskered face twisted into a slight expression of disgust as the newly arrived and hideously dressed jounin punched Lee in the face. Only to burst into tears of joy a second later and wrap his arms around the mini-clone in a manly hug, "Come on, let's get out of here before super fuzzy eyebrows decides to give _us_ a manly hug…"

"Hey! Gai-sensei is the greatest! Nothing can rival the youthful fires of his vast hipness. Not even that cool and hip Hatake Kakashi!" Lee yelled, righteous flames of indignation shining in his eyes as he defended his sensei form such unyouthful slander. How dare they taint the name that is Gai in his presence?

All three members of Team 7 looked at the genin in varying amounts of surprise, "Oi, how do you know about Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto questioned.

To their surprise, it was the jounin of the pair that spoke up, his sparkling white set of keyboard teeth literally _pinging_ in the artificial light of the room as he raised his right hand in tacky thumbs up, "Ah! You must be Kakashi's students. As to how I know him…"

Sasuke stared at the eccentric jounin as he trailed off, a knowing smirk on his face before he simply _disappeared _from view. There was no after image, no kick up of dust and there wasn't even the tell tale cloud of smoke to signify a **Shunshin (Body Flicker)**. It was if the jounin had simply disappeared from existence.

Sasuke wildly swivelled his head side to side in an attempt to locate the missing shinobi, only to freeze a second later as an overpowering presence made itself known behind him and his teammates.

Both Naruto and Sasuke slowly looked over their shoulders, wide disbelieving eyes staring at the shinobi who casually stood there with a hand on his chin and a proud smirk on his lips, "Many people refer to us as eternal rivals, destined to do battle against each other until the end of time. Right now its 50 wins and 49 losses, which means I'm stronger than your Kakashi-sensei."

_'Is he even human? He just moved faster than Kakashi, way faster…'_ And here he had thought Kakashi was powerful. Sure, the lazy jounin had vast and devastating arsenal of ninjutsu, a single implanted Sharingan eye and an impossibly sharp mind to go with all of his skills, but if you couldn't even _hit_ your opponent, all of it was completely useless.

"Now Lee, go bandage up your hands and continue on with the exam with Neji and TenTen!" Gai shouted before disappearing in an unreal burst of speed. Lee saluted the long gone jounin once before taking out another roll of sterile wrappings from his spandex before proceeding to cover his hands.

Unknown to either of them or anyone else watched, azure eyes widened faintly in surprise as Naruto looked at the bruised and bleeding hands of Rock Lee before they clouded over in sadness at the implications, a rather unreadable look flashing in their sapphire depths, _'He's just like me…'_

Even though almost all of his wounds could heal in a matter of minutes, the scars left on his heart and soul would forever remain but he would _always_ march on, the world around him unknowing of his anguished pain because there was nothing there for them to see.

But with Lee, you could still see that scars left behind by that pain, hands scarred from the torturous training he had put himself through to show people he was actually _worth_ something and not just a dropout like they had always believed him to be. The only thing he could do was carry on, only rock hard determination fuelling his body and a happy façade shown to the world to hide the pain both inside and out that would never disappear.

He was broken from his musings however as Team Gai walked up to stand in front of them, "It seems like the Uchiha Clan isn't worth much these days…" Both TenTen and Lee stared at their teammate, not at all surprised at the scathing remark.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was absolutely livid, his hands tightening into fists hard enough to draw blood. How dare this _Hyuuga_ even think he was better than him and his eyes, "Shut up…" Sasuke muttered, "Next time, I'll defeat you Lee."

Lee nodded once happily in return, flashing the Uchiha a bright smile as he and his team made their way towards room 301, "I look forward to our rematch Sasuke."

Naruto watched as the three older genin disappeared around the corner before turning to face Sasuke, his face the picture perfect definition of seriousness. Even his tone was an even monotone droll, the sombre demeanour instantly catching his teammates off guard, "You saw his hands too didn't you Sasuke… Lee must have trained really hard every single day of his life to become that strong, even more than you."

Midnight eyes narrowed in thought at the strange and oddly insightful words from his blonde teammate before a determined smirk crossed his lips, "Hn, the Chuunin Exam's are getting fun… I can't wait to see what happens next."

Both Naruto and Sakura smiled before following Sasuke around the corner that Team Gai had gone about, following the straight forward corridors until the finally came upon room 301 and a waiting Kakashi-sensei, his beloved orange book mysteriously missing from his hands, "Oh… So Sakura came too… Now you three can properly take the exam."

"Huh, what do you mean?" Sakura said, a single pink eyebrow raised in confusion.

"The truth is that this test can only be taken by teams of three." Kakashi informed, "If I had told you three this before, either Sasuke or Naruto might have pressured you into taking the exam, especially if it was Sasuke that had asked you. Even though you didn't want to, you would have done it for the sake of Sasuke."

The three genin seemed to gawk at their sensei who simply eye smiled in return, "But you three came of your own choice, you make me proud to be the leader of this team." Both Naruto and Sakura smiled at that, even though Kakashi didn't teach them all that much even since they had become a team -rather spending all his time and effort teaching Sasuke even if it was through scrolls-, he still _did _care for them and their general well being.

"Yeah, let's go…" Naruto muttered happily before throwing open the double doors. Unholy white light seemed to absorb their forms, over taking their vision with its brilliance and causing them to squint before it slowly disappeared to reveal a shocking site, "Wow…"

Three pairs of astonished eyes looked at the hundreds upon hundreds of genin waiting in the room, each and every single one of them glaring at them with varying amounts of killing intent and barely concealed disgust.

However, a shrill cry of, "Sasuke-kun!" broke them all from their separate thoughts as a platinum blonde haired girl grabbed Sasuke affectionately around the neck, a faint blush on her cheeks as she batted her long eye lashes in a decidedly alluring manner, "I haven't seen you in a while Sasuke-kun, I was all alone, but I knew you'd come to see me."

"Get away from Sasuke-kun Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled, running towards the smirking blonde haired Yamanaka and trying to pry her off of _her_ Sasuke-kun. How dare this hussy even touch Sasuke with her dirty hands?

So while Sakura and Ino waged war over each other for their chance with Sasuke, Naruto turned around as he heard a very familiar and above all uninterested voice, "Man, you guys are taking this stupid exam too?"

Naruto smiled as he took in the slouched form of his friend –to some extent at least- and one of the only few students from the Academy that actually spent any significant amount of time with him, "Hey Shikamaru, Chouji… I didn't know you guys were chosen for this exam."

However, before he could answer, a loud bark interrupted the pair as Kiba and Akamaru along with Shino joined their little circle, "Oi guys, I finally found you! Looks like the entire gangs here." Kiba barked, a wolfish grin on his face. Akamaru sat on his head, happily wagging away his tail in excitement.

Naruto looked up, a grin on his face as azure eyes quickly searched around for the missing Hyuuga heiress, "Hey Kiba, where's Hinata, shouldn't she be with you?" The jinchuuriki asked quickly, an uncharacteristic frown on his lips.

He knew she had to be here, after all, you needed to have a team of three to compete in the exam but he still couldn't see her. Honestly, that girl could vanish from right in front of your eyes if she wanted too.

Unknown to anyone else, Shino narrowed his eyes behind his reflective glasses as he heard the barest hints of concern emanate in the blonde's voice. As far as he knew, the only _girl_ Uzumaki Naruto cared about was his teammate Haruno Sakura, and for him to suddenly be concerned over Hinata's well being was rather odd. Regaining his detached demeanor, Shino resolved to look into the matter more thoroughly once the exam had ended.

"I-I'm right h-here Naruto-k-kun…" Pale lavender eyes looked into his own surprised orbs as Hinata stepped out from behind Kiba before quickly training them on the ground, an adorably innocent blush on her flawless cheeks and a small smile on her lips.

For how long she had dreamed of the day when Naruto-kun would actually notice her; that he would actually care about her enough to notice her when she wasn't there. And today that day had come; to her it was a dream come true.

"Hey you guys, you should be a little quieter…" An unfamiliar voice called out, and Naruto unconsciously tensed as the oily tone slithered down his spine. Turning around, narrowed eyes glanced towards the bespectacled Konoha genin, a mop of greyed hair on his head and an assortment of grey and dark blue clothes adorning his frame.

He didn't know what it was about the genin –maybe it was the way he walked, slithering across the floor like a snake about to pounce or the way his mere presence sent unpleasant chills down his spine-, but something told him that the grey haired shinobi couldn't be trusted, "All nine of you just recently graduated from the Academy right? You all need to get it into your thick heads that this isn't just some simple training exercise or field trip."

"Oh, and who the hell might you be to order _us_ around?" Ino demanded sharply, hands on her pleasing hips and a frown on her pouting lips. She didn't know who he was, but he had just interrupted her precious time with Sasuke-kun and there would be hell to pay.

"I am Yakushi Kabuto…" The newly names Kabuto continued off from where Ino had rudely interrupted him, "and you guys might want to look around." A frown still on her face, Ino turned away from the genin and looked at the rest of the room. The next moment, the very floor seemed to fall out from under her as the most terrifying and monstrous killing intent she had ever felt in slammed into her senses, freezing her mind, body, and soul as the unrelenting terror ravaged her mind.

Ino was barely aware of the rest of the rookie nine's reactions as she collapsed to the floor and onto her butt, a single tear streaming down her cheek as the horror slowly began to ebb away before finally disappearing.

_'O-Oh god… I… I can't do t-this… I h-have t-to quit…'_ The platinum blonde was broken out of her frantic thoughts by a gentle and concerned hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her from her horror induced thoughts with its surprising warmth, "Hey Ino, you okay?"

Ino looked up at the surprisingly soft and gentle voice and was shocked to see the caring sapphire eyes of Uzumaki Naruto staring down at her as if he hadn't even felt a thing from the killing intent. Then the Yamanaka did something she thought she would have _never_ done when involving Naruto, she _blushed_.

Blood rushed to her cheeks as those compassionate azure eyes pierced her very being, setting her very soul on fire in a way that Sasuke could never and would never be able to do.

"I… I'm fine Naruto, thank you…" Ino mumbled, causing Naruto to smile slightly before grabbing his outstretched hand and pulling herself to her feet. Idly, she marvelled at the surprising softness of the blonde's hands.

Making sure she could stand before letting go of his hand, Ino looked around in embarrassment as she noticed that _nobody_ else had reacted as violently as her to the killing intent. Naruto seemed to be perfectly normal, seemingly not even having felt a thing while Shino stood beside him, as calm and collected as ever.

A bit further off was Sasuke, standing there with his arms crossed and glaring at the other genin, but if one looked closely, they could see just the hint's of a cold sweat building up on the Uchiha's temple.

Even the rest of the rookie nine seemed to have fared better against the collective killing intent then her. The only sign that they had even been affected by the fear inducing aura was the slightly ragged breathing and the slight sheen of nervous sweat glistening on their foreheads, _'Even forehead-girl and Hinata handled it better than me…'_

"Tch, you should just quit right now little girl before you get hurt…" A random Kirigakure kunoichi threatened, a scowl on her lips as she glared at the blonde haired leaf genin. Pathetic, it was kunoichi like her that gave the rest of them a bad name. Always fawning over guys and spending more time on their hair and make-up than actually training to become stronger.

Ino lowered her head in dismay, tears threatening to fall out at any moment at the scathing remark. Maybe she was right; maybe she should just quit right now and save her team and more importantly herself the trouble of going through the exam.

But before she could make good on her feelings, a sharp gasp unexpectedly cut through the air and broke through her hazy thoughts. Looking up, Ino was surprised to see the very kunoichi that had been mocking her staring at her with fear laced eyes, a hand on her defined chest as she frantically tried to calm her rampaging heart.

_'Wait, she isn't staring at me…' _And she wasn't. Looking closely, the mind walker noticed that the Kiri ninja was staring apprehensively at the person standing _beside_ her. Slightly turning her head, pearl-like eyes widening in stunned silence as they stared at the glaring face of Uzumaki Naruto, lips twisted into a feral expression of barely contained rage.

_'W-Why would he defend me…? I was never nice to him at the Academy, and I always put him down whenever I saw him… So why…?" _

"Hey now, no need to get hostile before the exam even starts." Kabuto smiled, breaking the unbearably tense silence in the room, "Here, how about I share some information with you rookies, since this _is_ the seventh time I've done this exam…"

Reaching into his kunai pouch and expertly ignoring the incredulous looks from most of the Konohagakure genin at his admission, the bespectacled shinobi pulled out a small deck of cards while kneeling down on one knee, "These are ninja information cards. While they may look blank, they actually contain a lot of information that has been burnt into the surface, but it only becomes visible when the card is fed my chakra."

And as if to prove his point, Kabuto picked up the first card of his deck and channelled a small amount of chakra into the piece of paper. The card seemed to shimmer with a slight glow of neon blue, and the genin watched, amazed as black ink slowly began to bleed onto the surface to show a map of the elemental countries.

"This card shows the number of those taking the Chuunin Selection Exam and what country they're from." Kabuto smirked at the astonished looks before continuing, "Now, is there anyone that wants information on a certain participant? Although the info's not perfect, I _do _have it…"

Sasuke stepped forward, slight anticipation shining in his raven eyes, "How about Rock Lee and Uzumaki Naruto, both of Konoha."

"Oh, so you already know their names… That should be easy enough." Flipping through the cards, Kabuto quickly pulled out two before channelling chakra through them, "First there's Rock Lee…"

Turning over the piece of chakra imbued paper, Sasuke watched as a picture of Lee -complete with hideous green spandex and bushy eyebrows- slowly bled into existence along with his details, "He's a year older than you guys and has completed twenty D-rank missions along with twelve C-rank missions. His strongest field is taijutsu while ninjutsu and genjutsu are nearly nonexistent and he's part of Team 9 under jounin sensei Maito Gai with his two teammates Hyuuga Neji and TenTen."

Placing the card back into his deck, Kabuto held up the second one featuring the blonde jinchuuriki, "Next is Uzumaki Naruto. Whoa, says here he's part of your team, why do you want to know about your own teammate?" Kabuto questioned, looking up only to see glacial Sharingan eyes glaring at him.

"That's none of your business, do you have the info or not?" Sasuke said tersely, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice. Nobody had _ever_ denied him before, so who did this _genin_ think he was questioning his motives?

Shrugging lightly, Kabuto returned his attention to the card held in his hand, "Uzumaki Naruto under the jounin sensei Hatake Kakashi with his teammates Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. He's completed seven D-rank mission, one C-rank and one A-rank that led to the death of Momochi Zabuza… Damn, that's pretty impressive for a genin. His strongest field is ninjutsu, followed by slightly above average taijutsu and nearly nonexistent genjutsu."

"That's about all the information I have on these two, anyone else interested in another participant?" Having not really expected anyone else, the elder genin was slightly surprised when Naruto stepped forward, "Hey Kabuto, do you have any information about Sabaku no Gaara from Suna?"

"Well let's see what the cards say." Kabuto began before sifting through his cards. Seemingly picking one at random, chakra surged through the paper before disappearing, "Sabaku no Gaara, mission history is no D-rank, eight C-rank and one B-rank missions, not really as good as yours but get this, he came back from _all_ of his missions without a scratch on his body. Other than that, I don't have any more info on him since he's from a foreign country."

"No, that enough, thanks though…" Naruto answered mildly. Although it wasn't much, it still gave him slight advantage over the disturbed genin. Who knows, he just might have to fight Gaara at some point in the exam. Now he just had to figure out how he came back from all of his missions without a freaking _scratch_. Seriously, that had to be one _strong_ ability.

"All of the elemental countries have sent their best of the best to this exam, well, other than the Sound Village that was just created a little over a year ago, so there isn't much information on them." Kabuto smirked, feeling the slight killing intent emanating from the three sole genin of Otogakure.

"How about we give this tree hugging fool a bit of data for his cards by showing him just how _vicious_ we can be?" Dosu grinned, his face twisting into a psychotic expression as he zigzagged through the crowd, Kin and Zaku right behind him.

Zaku jumped into the air, dual kunai flying from his hands and soaring through the air at the surprised Kabuto.

Leaping back, the bespectacled genin easily dodged the pieces of metal only for Dosu to appear in front him as another shadowed figure raced forward, arm cocked back and ready to swing before his eyes shot open in pain as he flew back from the devastating kick.

Landing with a loud 'thud', Dosu slowly got up, cradling his abdomen from the dull twinge of pain as he glared at the blonde who stood there, an icy glare on his face as he lowered himself into a taijutsu stance.

"Why you little bastard, I'll make you pay for that lucky attack!" But before the mummified genin could make good on his threat, an explosion of chakra and smoke coalesced in the front of the classroom, a booming voice penetrating the shroud and ringing over the room, "Quiet down you worthless bastards!"

Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow in amusement as killing intent slowly began to filter through the room, the pressure increasing bit by bit as the numerous genin slowly started to sweat. But it just flew over his blonde head.

With all the killing intent he had experienced throughout his life from the villagers and various shinobi both foreign and from the Leaf, it was easy for Naruto to ignore the fear inducing effects of killing intent, but that wasn't to say he didn't learn something useful from the constant onslaught throughout his short life.

And _that_ was how to identify the type of person or ninja that was after him depending on the kind of killing intent they emitted, whether it be raw, subtle, or area effect.

Firstly, there was the _raw _variant of killing intent, most commonly used by your average civilian –completely by accident, that is- and the typical ninja ranging anywhere from an Academy student to the Kage of a village.

It was nothing more than an unrefined blast of chakra which is then used to force your presence and _will_ over another person. Then, depending on your own emotional level and experience along with experience of the receiver, it could cause anything from visions of your own death to nothing more than a slight tingling along the edge of your spine warning you of upcoming danger.

The second type was the subtle variant of killing intent, most commonly used by the more experienced and 'elegant' tier of shinobi and more likely than not, kunoichi. Unlike the raw variant, the subtle version slowly suffocated the opponent, the fear and utter sense of panic gradually increasing until it overwhelmed the enemy. Although this type _was_ a lot more useful for drawn out battles, most ninja still preferred the raw alternative.

And lastly, the area effect style of killing intent. Unlike the other two before it that could only be used on a _single_ person, this type simply flooded over a large area, encompassing all those in the vicinity. Of course, due to the size of the area, the induced fear and potency of the killing intent was also drastically affected.

It could be either raw or subtle, but required far more concentrations and will power to use and to date, only the Kyuubi had been powerful enough to effectively affect an entire village using this variant.

As it is, most shinobi prefer the raw variant, while kunoichi on the other hand seem to be fonder of its alternative while only extremely powerful shinobi had enough willpower and chakra to use the area effect version of killing intent.

But as the veil of smoke quickly dispersed into nothingness, Naruto quickly focused his attention back to the front of the room as eighteen figures came into view. A single shinobi stepped to the front, a black trench coat adorning his hulking frame and a sadistic smirk on his scarred face, "I'm Morino Ibiki, special jounin of Konoha and examiner for the first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam."

Grinning foxily, Naruto slid out of his stance before relaxing, his azure eyes shining in amusement, _'Bring it on you stupid exam, Uzumaki Naruto is about to rock your world!'_

**XX AN XX**

Done! Whether you loved it or hated it, tell me what you thought of this chapter in a nice, meaningful or otherwise short** review**.

Anyways, I didn't want to take it any further than that since it would have been _way _too long and it seemed like a good place to stop. On the other hand, due to unforeseen events, updates _will_ come slightly slower from now on.

Any who, as you people may have noticed everything and anything that happens in this fan fiction, whether it is related to jutsu or relationships, will be explained in the most logical of reasons possible. I mean, just look at the reason why the katon jutsu blew up when Naruto tried to add another element too it, that actually happens to fire when it is suddenly introduced to a high concentration of oxygen. Adding to that, learning jutsu in canon seems **_way _**too easy, so I will _always_ have some set-backs to make it seem more realistic.

Now here are some questions that came up.

Q – Sasuke too obsessed?  
A – Yeah, I guess he is, but then again, I never really cared for the little bugger. But over and above that, it's mostly because Sasuke is feeling jealous and slightly threatened that Naruto is getter _stronger_. While in canon, both Naruto and Sasuke began getting along after the Wave mission you could still see that Sasuke began becoming cold towards both Naruto and Sakura after Naruto began getting stronger. Also, in my fic, Naruto hasn't been around his team all that much, and add to that fact that Naruto was chosen over Sasuke for a mission. Because of this, the Uchiha's darker feelings have resurfaced.

Q – Will Naruto also get an affinity for water and earth because of the Kyuubi?  
A – Nope, Naruto will only have fire and wind elemental affinities.

Q – Does the Shinigami's chakra cause a more advanced physical change like the Kyuubi's tails?  
A – Not per say, but the more chakra Naruto uses, the stronger his as of yet unseen powers will get.

Q – Will Kimimaro live?  
A – I doubt it, but then again, you never know…

Q – How come Asuma never gets a harem?  
A – I have no idea, but maybe it's because he gets Kurenai, the hottest freaking jounin in the village.

Q – Will Sarutobi live or die?  
A – Sarutobi _will_ die, but something interesting will happen in that chapter that will _blow_ you away!

Q – What the hell is Sakura doing?  
A – That answers your question?

Q – Isn't Aoyama Motoko actually from Love Hina?  
A – Although the name _is_ from Love Hina, Motoko's appearance is based off of Tokiha Mai.

Q – Will Naruto kill in the Forest of Death?  
A – Maybe, but I don't think so.

Q – I thought it was possible for regular people to have more than one elemental affinity, like jounin?  
A – While that _is_ true in the manga, I changed stuff around a bit to give Naruto something special besides the Kyuubi and the Shinigami's chakra.

Q – Men after Motoko?  
A – Various villagers…

Other than that, hope you enjoyed it, because it sure as hell was fun to write. Remember, leave a nice, little review for me and the youthful forging fires of my heart shall forever be ignited like the fires of a thousand blazing suns by your love for my writing! The more you review, the more the flames of youth shall be fed and the faster I shall forge the next chapter!

But in case you didn't get that, leave a review and tell me what you thought of the lemon, maybe an update will come faster if you do along with another lemony surprise…

**NOTE: I will go back and edit the last section about killing intent and make it more in-depth and whatnot in the next day or so along with changing the ending paragraph. I just wanted to get this out today.**


	9. Into The Unknown

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** Matrix_Explosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata x Motoko

**Word Count:** 15,600

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** November 2, 2008

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

And here it is, the latest instalment of Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch. First and foremost, I am extremely sorry about the delay, but I've been kinda busy… Well, more like extremely busy with school work and what not, including getting a job above all things.

To top it all off, this was a hard chapter to write, not because of a lack of ideas, but mostly because I couldn't put it into the right words, if that makes any sense… And let's not forget school which has taken up most of my free time these days.

Anyhow, this chapter covers the first and second exams along with a single, small fraction of the preliminaries which _will _be different than the one in canon. Well, that was the idea at least, but I just couldn't find the motivation to continue it past this, and the fact this is way past due.

As for the poll, the results were unanimous. I shall continue posting giant chapters just like I have been doing so far.

Other than that, there's not much else to say, so without further adieu, on with the story!

Here's chapter 09…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 09 – Into The Unknown**

The entire room went silent, killing intent rolling invisibly through the air like a poisonous miasma as all but a few genin started to tremble at the overwhelming feeling, "I am Morino Ibiki, examiner for the first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam." A single gloved hand rose, pointing towards the trio of sound genin as his eyes narrowed slightly, "Sit down Oto genin or do I have to kick you three bastards out before the exam even starts?"

"I apologize… It is out first time and we got a bit excited…" Dosu smirked, his pristine bandages crinkling around the edges at the nearly nonexistent movement. The sound-nin's grin only widened as the examiners killing intent intensified at his blatant disrespect, eyes narrowed in a silent warning.

'_These leaf-nin's are absolutely pathetic…'_ Orochimaru-sama had _stronger_ killing intent when he was informing them of their mission, this guy was nothing compared to their master. But then again, it wouldn't be good for them to fail their mission, Orochimaru-sama made it explicitly clear that were _not_ to fail, for both their sake _and_ continued survival.

Nodding towards Kin and Zaku, all three genin sat down at the tables in front of them, the hawk like eyes of the eighteen shinobi watching their every move before Ibiki scoffed angrily, "Bah, stupid kids. Let me make this clear before we have any more incidents. There is to be _no_ fighting in this exam without the examiners explicit permission. Even if permission is granted, killing will not be permitted under any situation." The killing intent suddenly doubled as Ibiki glared across the room and his very presence causing a ripple of fear to spread through most of the genin gathered, "Those pigs that disobey my rules will fail immediately. Do I make myself clear?"

Seeing a few of the prospective chuunin nod, the killing intent slowly began to wither away until completely disappearing as Ibiki continued, "Good, we will now begin the first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam. But first, instead of your current seating arrangements, you will pick up one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. Once everyone is seated, we will then hand out the exams."

Ibiki smirked haughtily as he watched the fox-like grin on Naruto's face vanish without a trace, an absolutely horrified expression taking its place not a moment later, _'Che, so that's Uzumaki Naruto… He doesn't look a thing like the photo we have of him in the records. I wonder what's got him so spooked, but his file did mention his scored at the Academy were abysmal at best, maybe that's why…'_

Shaking himself from his musings, the examiner watched as the blonde jinchuuriki slowly stalked forward, taking his chip from the box being held by the chuunin before reluctantly trudging to his seat_, 'It doesn't matter, if he can't even figure out what the purpose behind the test is, he doesn't deserve to be a chuunin. Then again, he is known as Konoha's most surprising ninja…'_ It seems like even Ibiki knew of the demon vessels infamous reputation throughout the village.

A few minutes later, all the examinees were seated and the various chuunin proceeded to hand out the test papers. Accepting the flimsy piece of paper from the smug looking chuunin, Naruto looked at the nine questions written on its surface, his stomach quickly dropping as dread and panic filled his being. There was no _way_ he could answer these! Even _Sakura_ might have at least a little bit of trouble with these questions and she was the smartest kunoichi he knew!

"N-Naruto-kun…" The blonde's ears twitched in surprise at the gentle and familiar voice. Turning his head to the side, azure eyes widened in surprise as a slightly flushed Hinata greeted him with a shy yet absolutely radiant smile on her flawless face, "L-Let's do our b-best…!"

Naruto simply smiled warmly in return, his own eyes crinkling in happiness at the timid girls concern for his wellbeing, "Yeah, good luck Hinata…" Hinata was right, what more could he do than his very best? Even if it seemed completely hopeless, he would give it his all just like every other day of his life and come out on top, no matter who or what tried to stop him.

"There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write them down on the board as I go, but questions aren't allowed so listen carefully." Grabbing a piece of chalk with his gloved hand, Ibiki began writing on the black board while most of the genin looked on in curiosity, "You guys will start off with ten points each, one point for one question coming to a total of ten questions. But unlike most other tests, this one uses a subtraction system."

Turning around, Ibiki stared at the genin, the hints of a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he regarded them with a cool gaze, "Basically, if you answer all of the questions correctly, you keep all your points. On the other hand, say you miss three questions, you lose three points and have seven left."

"For the second rule, this is a team test. Whether you pass or not will be determined by the combined score of you and your teammates. Each team will begin with a total of thirty points and for every question that you answer wrong, a single point will be deducted."

Sakura jumped up from her seat, arm raised high in the air and a quizzical look on her face, "Wait a second! I don't get it the initial points system, but why does this have to be a team test?" The pink haired kunoichi questioned, only to wilt like a cut flower under the icy glare from the Interrogation Specialist.

Ibiki stared at the frail looking girl, his eyes glacial nothing more than pieces of ice and a frown on his scarred features, "Shut up brat. Didn't you listen to what I said? No questions are allowed so just shut up and listen to me." Seriously, the girl was said to be one of the smartest kunoichi to come out of the Academy and she couldn't even do something as simple as listen to instructions. This only proved his disapproval with the general curriculum of the Academy and its pathetically low standards –at least compared to _all_ the other elemental countries- that only grew more lax as the years went on.

The Sandaime may be a great leader, but his peaceful and pacifistic views could one day lead to the very downfall of the village they were sworn to protect with their lives. Even though they were in a time of peace and prosperity did not mean they should become lenient in their shinobi and kunoichi training. After all, a world such as theirs was not meant to stay peaceful for long and one day, war would come knocking at Konoha's doorsteps and they might not be able to push it back, nor would there be another Yondaime to save them.

Snapping out his thoughts, Ibiki slightly shook his head before returning his attention to writing the rules on the board. His annoyance with the Sandaime and his rules could wait for later; he had an exam to run right now. Besides, it wasn't as if he hadn't approached the Hokage before with his displeasure for their current Academic standards, but the old man wouldn't hear a word of it. He just hoped the aged Sarutobi would learn his lesson before it cost him his very life and more importantly, the very village they served.

"There's also a third rule in this test. Anyone caught cheating by the examiners during the duration of the test will have two points deducted for every offense. Get caught five times and you lose all your points, and with that, you get kicked out of the entire exam." Ignoring the shocked and surprisingly thoughtful expressions on some of the genin, the bulky examiner continued, a smirk on his face and amusement dancing in his midnight eyes, "You must realize that the pathetic ones that get caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobi trying to achieve the level of chuunin, be proud ninja!"

Both Sakura and Sasuke gulped slightly, similar thoughts running through their minds as they discreetly glanced towards their blonde knucklehead teammate, _'Don't worry, it doesn't matter how Naruto does. As long as Sasuke-kun and I do well, we can cover for that baka even if he gets zero points.'_

However, she was broken out of her musing as Ibiki continued, a undeniably sadistic and spine chilling tone to his gruff voice, "And the final rule, those that lose all their points due to cheating and those that don't answer the questions correctly…" All the genin gulped as Ibiki's smirk turned positively evil, the air overflowing with raw killing intent and eyes alight with cruel mischief, "…will be failed along with their teammates even if they didn't do anything wrong."

The blonde haired demon vessel let out a strained laugh as killing intent lightly caressed his honed senses, the hairs on the back on his neck standing up as two malevolent aura's made themselves known in the room, _'Hehe, I think my teammates might want to kill me…' _Although the killing intent itself was nothing more than a slight tickle compared to what he was used to be feeling, it did a pretty good job of telling him what his teammates intended to do to him -as slowly and as _painfully_ as they could- if he even thought about failing the test.

"The exam will last for one hour, begin!" The examiner's voice seemed deafening inside the quiet atmosphere of the classroom as all the genin futilely tried to solve their problems, well, at least most of them.

Sasuke stared at his piece of paper, a small scowl gracing his lips before he smirked slightly as the bitter truth of the situation dawned on him, _'Hehe, I can't answer even one of these questions.'_ Hell, even Sakura might have some trouble with these questions, at least a little bit. Seeing no other way out of it, Sasuke delved into his thoughts, going over each and every little thing the scarred jounin had said,_ 'With the way this test's set up, it's almost like they expect us to cheat…'_ The Uchiha thought, before his eyes widened imperceptibly in comprehension, _'Wait a second…!'_

The words that the eccentric examiner had spoken just moments before ran through his mind, his highly intellectual and strategic brain quickly putting the otherwise abstract and seemingly random concepts and rules together at frightening speeds. After all, while he may not be as _book_ smart as Sakura, he was still considered a _shinobi_ genius, the brain's his emerald eyed teammate had didn't account for anything in the real world. So what if you could memorize entire textbooks and recite each and every shinobi rule, if you couldn't put it into practice, the information was utterly useless.

So while he may not be as intelligent as Sakura, he would always be an infinitely better shinobi than her, no matter how smart she got. Whereas she had book smarts, _he _had the mind of a genius shinobi of the Uchiha Clan, strategic to a fault and always two or three steps ahead of its opponents, _'So that's what all the rules were for. Not only is this a test of our intelligence, but also a test of how well we can gather information. In other words, to see if we can properly cheat without getting caught by the examiners watching our every move… It's just like Kakashi said; a ninja must always look underneath the underneath.'_

His entire train of thought had taken less than a quarter of a second, but then another thought struck the raven haired genin, causing him to pause in his rampant thoughts as he discreetly looked around for his other two teammates to see how they were doing. He may have figured out the purpose of this test and while he knew that Sakura was smart enough to answer the questions by herself -not that she would ever go against a superior's rules and orders in the first place- that still left Naruto, _'You better notice this Naruto, I've already figured it out and Sakura's smart enough to get through this without cheating, that only leaves you…'_

Having done all he could –not that it would help that dobe- Sasuke closed his raven eyes and sighed softly in resignation, chakra swirling through his coils, rushing towards his head before coalescing behind his orbs and instantly activating his families coveted bloodline limit, the Sharingan.

Two crimson orbs snapped open, dual black tomoe swirling in their bloody depths as Sasuke secretly marvelled in sheer _awe_ at his new perspective of the world around him. No matter how many times he did it, no matter how many times he activated his doujutsu, he would never get used to the simply _overwhelming _clarity and definition with which he and only two other people in the entire world could see. Really, it was no wonder that so many normal people were after the bloodlines of the world, especially doujutsu like the Sharingan and Byakugan.

An unconscious part of his brain idly wondered why _anyone_ -but mostly Kumo- would want to go after the Hyuuga's pathetic Byakugan before it quickly discarded the completely useless thought. Why look a gift horse in the mouth. As long as his prized eyes were safe, who was he to complain about people not coming after him?

It was like watching the world in slow-motion; able to anticipate each and _every_ shift of movement before it even happened in an almost _surreal_ fashion. It felt like he was able to transcend the boundaries of time itself, unrestrained by the linear sight of normal shinobi and kunoichi alike. And it got better, all it took was a slight bit of more chakra, and his vision instantly distorted into patterns of vivid neon blue, earthy brown, and strangely, a single blue human shaped figure flecked with bloody crimson, the very chakra that gave birth to his eyes given color.

Focusing his gaze on the blue tinged with orange-red shape, Sasuke reduced the amount of chakra going to his eyes and was surprised to see himself staring at the black clad figure of his blonde teammate, _'What the… What's all that red stuff floating through the dobe's chakra coils?'_ He knew that the vivid neon blue figures had been the other genin, and even the earthly brown was nothing more than the trees outside the window –after all, trees _were_ living things and all living things contained chakra-, but why were Naruto's chakra coils streaked with crimson?

As far as he knew, there was only one type of chakra, the normal vivid blue that all human shinobi and kunoichi had. Well, that, and the sea foam green chakra of healing jutsu. Sasuke himself had only seen it a few times, twice when he had to go to the hospital after a rather brutal training session from Kakashi, and a few times from his mother. She _may_ have been a combat jounin, but almost all kunoichi decided to try their hand at healing techniques at one time or another in their lives.

But that still didn't explain the blood red chakra that was swimming around in Naruto's chakra coils. It even _felt_ different from the rest; he didn't know quite how to explain it, but it almost felt toxic, more volatile, and infinitely more dangerous. However, the surprising thing was that he could only _feel_ the strange chakra when he turned on his Sharingan.

Nevertheless, the perturbed Uchiha was broken from his pondering as the tell-tale noise of chalk against a black board rang through the stifling silence of the room. Looking up in slight surprise, crimson eyes widened imperceptibly in disbelief as the special jounin wrote the remaining time on the board, _'What the… It's already been twenty-five minutes!?'_

Reluctantly returning his attention to observing the room around him and his blonde teammate, Sasuke watched as a small fly-like bug flew through the air, each and every single flap of its wings unveiled to the power of his eyes as it soared through dust and swerved around microscopic particles of floating debris before landing on the outstretched finger of Aburame Shino, _'Hn, it looks like most of the other genin figured it out…'_

Well, at least most of the genin from Konoha looked like they had.

The two Hyuuga were using their eyes, not in the least bit surprising since information gathering and espionage was a pretty dominant aspect of their bloodline limit. After all, with their capability to see through almost _any_ material, solid or otherwise liquid, the Byakugan was an invaluable asset in the surveillance aspect of ninja life. Add to that fact that it also came with telescopic abilities, and you had one hell of a bloodline limit to cheat with.

On the other hand, Aburame Shino seemed to be using his kikai bugs to gather the answers for him, the small, nearly invisible insect inconspicuously flying through the room, nothing more than an ordinary fly to all but those who knew of its deadly abilities. Unconsciously, a small shudder of disgust shot through Sasuke's spine at the thought of all those vermin –_millions _of them- running through his body. He knew they were useful, but to knowingly hand over your body and chakra to the most destructive bugs on earth was a little much for such power.

Kiba was using that mutt of his –Akamaru; he recalled quietly, images from his time in the Academy and his dysfunctional class coming to the forefront of his mind- to tell him the answers. The white pup was perched on the top of the dog boy's head, indistinctive growls escaping through barbed teeth as the Inuzuka fervently wrote down the answers.

Even Ino seemed to have figured out the true purpose behind this test, that, or she was just dozing off on top of her desk.

'_Okay, now to find someone that knows the answers…_' Staring straight ahead, the dual tomoe begin to spin in each scarlet orb as Sasuke's hand sprang into motion, a perfect mockery of the other genin trapped within his crimson gaze.

Before long, all nine questions had been answered and only the tenth one remained, _'It says that the tenth question will be given to us forty-five minutes after the test has begun, but why would they do that?'_

Eraser struck wood in a soft, rhythmic beat as Sasuke strategically thought over the current situation. The first nine questions were to not only test their intelligence, but to also test their information gathering skills. However, why would they leave the last question out if that was all there was to this exam.

There had to be a hidden motive, but what, _'Hn, it's just like Kakashi said, a shinobi must always look underneath the underneath…'_ Resolving that there was nothing left that he could do in his current situation, Sasuke set his pencil down on the desk and softly closed his eyes, the stream of chakra filtering to his eyes slowly dissipating as the Sharingan vanished into midnight black.

Naruto, on the other hand, was nowhere near as calm and collected as his aloof teammate, _'Okay, just calm down Naruto, this is no place to start panicking. All you have to do it cheat without getting caught. See, it's just that's easy…'_

Taking a calming breath to sooth his raging thoughts, the blonde demon vessel picked up his paper, azure eyes staring intensely at its pristine surface, only to let out a frustrated and feral growl of rage as he dropped the paper, _'Argh! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Work you stupid brain, I've already gotten this far, I just can't quit now. Just…just calm down and think.'_

The desperate blonde propped his elbows onto the desk in front of him, taut fingers running through his sunny and slightly sweaty hair –the air was _surprisingly_ stifling and hot- as he frantically thought of what to do, _'The only way I can pass is by cheating, there's no way I'm gonna be able to answer these without it.'_

Idly looking towards the clock mounted on the wall above the black board, the jinchuuriki's eyes widened marginally as he noticed how much time had already passed, _'What!? It's already been thirty minutes! Damn it, I'm running out of time.'_ His resolve strengthened, Naruto sighed in resignation before pulling himself up, beady eyes preparing to look over at the paper of the boy beside him –he could _never_ cheat from such a nice girl as Hinata- only to stop dead in his tracks as a kunai whizzed by his face.

"Get out; you got busted five times for cheating." Kotetsu smirked, eyes shining with unrestrained amusement as he lowered his hand, "The two of you on his team get out of here, right now…" Getting up from his seat, the chuunin walked over to the door and swiftly opened it, turning towards the shinobi with an eyebrow raised in questioning.

Gulping slightly, the Konoha genin nodded once, a fearful expression on his pale face before getting out of his seat and dejectedly walking out the open door, his two angrily teammates trailing behind him. Why did they have to get punished for their teammates ineptitude, it wasn't their fault he got caught cheating.

"Feh, that was pathetic…" Shutting the door once the three genin were gone, Kotetsu returned to his seat, a smirk playing on his lips as he pointedly stared at the trembling form of Naruto.

'_That was way to close, there's no way I'll be able to cheat without getting caught.'_ Sheepishly looking away from the chuunin smugly staring at him, Naruto returned his attention to the piece of paper lying on the wooden desk when a quiet and familiar, "N-Naruto-kun…" broke through his muddled thoughts.

Looking to his right from the corner of his eyes, Naruto's eyes widened in slight astonishment as a lightly flushed Hinata greeted his sight, "Y-You can cheat off of m-me if you w-want…"

Hinata looked down to her own completed test, valiantly resisting the urge to twiddle her fingers together as Naruto-kun's sapphire blue eyes looked at her in barely concealed surprise, "Huh…?"

"You c-can look at my a-answers Naruto-k-kun…" The meek Hyuuga repeated quietly. Even though she might get in trouble, she couldn't just sit there and watch as the very light of her life slowly diminished, and for what, just because he couldn't cheat without getting caught to pass this test. She would do whatever she could to help him pass, to make sure that he stayed with her, even if it meant possibly getting caught by the examiners.

Naruto didn't have the ability to see through anything like her, neither did he have a special bloodline limit that could help him, and even she could admit that he wasn't the smartest person she knew, but that didn't mean anything. The blonde demon vessel beside her more than made up for everything he lacked with the simple determination to _never_ give up, no matter what. He would always trudge on, an unstoppable force of sheer will and incredible resolve even when it seemed like the rest of the world was against him.

Naruto, on the other hand, was trying to think of any possible reason as to why Hinata would knowingly risk her chance at becoming a chuunin to help _him_ of all people. Sure, they had gone on a single mission together, and they could even be considered somewhat close friends, but that still didn't explain why she would take such a big risk for a failure like him.

Then he remembered _who_ he was talking about, Hyuuga Hinata, possibly the nicest person he knew. Of _course_ she would try to help him, that's just the kind of person she was, a kind and gentle spirit that would go to the depths of hell to help someone that needed it.

Azure eyes clouded over in melancholy, blonde eyebrows furrowed together in contemplation as Naruto looked down at his desk, a small, sad grin on his lips and an indescribable warmth spreading through his body as he remembered all the happy moments he had spent with the shy girl over the past few months.

There was no way in hell that he was asking _Hinata_ of all people to take such a dangerous risk for him, even if she was willing to do it, he just couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to. Not only wouldn't it be fair to her to get into trouble just because he couldn't pass a stupid test, but he could _never_ forgive himself if Hinata got into trouble because of him. After all, what kind of a Hokage would he be if he let his soldiers take the fall for him?

Besides, he was going to be Hokage one day; Uzumaki Naruto didn't need to fucking _cheat_ to pass a stupid test. Even if he was a genin for the rest of his life, he would _still_ become the greatest Kage Konoha could ever want. His resolve strengthened, the Kyuubi no Kitsune's demon vessel looked up at the Hyuuga heiress, eyes burning with determination and a truly genuine smile of gratitude stretching his scarred cheeks.

Watching patiently as Naruto-kun looked up, Hinata gasped softly, hands shooting up and in front of her mouth to try and stifle the noise as a simply heart warming and genuine smile bloomed onto his whiskered cheeks, eyes alight with gratitude and countenance simply radiating warmth, "Don't worry about me Hinata-chan, an incredible ninja like me doesn't need to cheat. Besides, if you got caught helping me, you could get into trouble and what kind of a friend would I be if I knowingly let that happen?"

The Hyuuga heiress smiled warmly, looking into those warm sapphire orbs that shone like the sun itself and glittering with unwavering determination like the night sky, "I u-understand Naruto-kun." And she truly did, Naruto-kun didn't want to cheat off of her because he was worried that _she_ would get into trouble.

That thought alone was almost enough to send the poor heiress over the edge and into the blissful clutches of sweet oblivion, luckily -and with a supreme force of will-, she held onto her consciousness.

If there was such a thing as 'cloud nine', then she was definitely on it. How long had she dreamed that Naruto-kun would care for her enough to be worried about her wellbeing, if not on a personal level, then at least as a close friend. And now that day had finally come.

Before Hinata had ever personally met Naruto, she would have been happy at simply having him as a passing _acquaintance_, someone that she would happily go on missions with every once in a while. But _now_, she was more than just an associate, she was his _friend_, something more than any other girl in Konoha could boast.

Of course, there was still Sakura, but the Hyuuga heiress highly doubted the pink haired kunoichi considered Naruto her friend, not with the way she treated him on a daily basis. An estranged teammate maybe, but definitely not a friend of _any _sort.

Besides, Hinata knew that even if he didn't get the answers, Naruto-kun would pass the test, one way or another.

However, before the two could continue their heartfelt chat, the gruff voice of Morino Ibiki rung through the air, breaking the genin from their thoughts as all eyes turned up to look at him, "Alright you maggots, put your pencils down, it's time for the tenth question."

The sound of thin, wooden pencils striking against the desks echoed out in the quiet atmosphere as Ibiki took the time to look over the large crown of genin, _'I can't believe there's still these many left, not to mention that all of the rookie's surprisingly survived.' _

He had thought that at least _half_ of the rookie's would have been kicked out in the first exam, but it looks like he was wrong, not that it was a bad thing, it just meant Anko had more kids to torture during the second test. Besides, this could only prove beneficial for the great tree that was Konoha as such a promising generation was bound to do great things for their village.

Silently clearing his throat, the special jounin uncoiled his tense muscles and calmed his emotions; a deep, soothing breath leaving through barely parted lips as he the last traces of killing intent left the air. He wouldn't need any for what he was about to do, in fact, it would be quite detrimental.

Not only would any killing intent distract the more inexperienced genin from the two choices he was about to give them, it would also cloud their minds with fear and doubt. Mind you, if they were chuunin and had to make the same decision out on a life threatening mission, they would indeed feel those same emotions, but _this_ was the Chuunin Selection Exam.

Besides, even though there were quite a few genin left, this last question would take out quite a large portion, and Anko's exam was _guaranteed_ to cut the remaining number in half, if not more. In the long term, using killing intent now would do more harm than good, after all, what kind of a Chuunin Exam final's would there be with so few participants?

"Okay, I will now explain the tenth question, so listen carefully. But before we get to it, I'd like to go over the new rules for this specific question." Ibiki explained.

A ripple of shock spread through the room as all the students perked up in their seats, the sudden and unexpected announcement shocking even those that had successfully cheated to get the answers. Easily suppressing a mischievous smirk that would rather belong on a certain blue-eyed blonde, the special jounin continued, "Unlike the nine questions before this, you have a choice on whether you want to take it or not."

"If you choose not to take it, your points will be reduced to zero and you will fail alongside your teammates." Ibiki threatened, only to stop as a single genin jumped up from his seat, confusion shining in his eyes and an expression of outrage on his face.

"Then why the hell wouldn't we take the question?" The shinobi from Kirigakure shouted, only to stop as Ibiki smirked, a silent chill of dread dragging its bony finger down his spine. Swallowing the lump in his painfully tight throat, the mist-nin quickly retook his seat, a bead of cold sweat running down his temple as the frigid eyes of the examiner peered into his own.

Kami… And he had thought that the Kiri Chuunin Selection Exam had been scary. It was no wonder Konoha was considered to be the greatest and strongest of all five of the elemental villages, if their _special_ jounin's were simply this frightening, one had to wonder how powerful their elite shinobi and kunoichi and the Hokage had to be.

Taking his eyes off of the trembling genin with one final glare, Ibiki swept his eyes across the rest of the room, a silent promise of pain clearly visible in their murky depths to anyone else that so much as interrupted him, "But on the other hand, if you decide to take the question and answer incorrectly, that genin will lose the right to ever take the Chuunin Selection Exam again!"

Kiba jumped up from his seat, lips pulled back in a vicious snarl and eyes alight with feral rage as he pointed an accusing finger at the scarred jounin, "What kind of a stupid rule is that!? There are genin here that have taken the exam before!"

Ibiki face seemed to darken in the unusually bright room as he lowered his head to the floor, silence reigning supreme in the quiet ambience but only for an instant as a dark and sadistic chuckle resonated through the gathered genin a moment later, "You guys were just unlucky that it was my turn to proctor this exam. But since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you a way out."

All the genin stared at his with disbelieving eyes, not at all convinced that such a cruel and sadistic man could even _feel_ generous, "Those that are scared can choose not to take the tenth question and try again next year. Now those cowards that do _not_ wish to take it, raise your hand. Once you're number has been recorded, get the hell out of my room."

A few moments passed where Ibiki allowed the information to sink in before a single Konoha genin raised his hand and stood up from his seat, "I… I can't take it anymore, I quit…" And with that, the flood gates came crashing down. Genin began to drop out like flies, too terrified by the thought of never being able to become chuunin and shaming their villages. It didn't matter if they failed now, as long as they _had_ another chance; they could always try again in a different village.

Meanwhile, Naruto was silently staring at his paper; teeth clenched together painfully and clawed hands tightened into fists hard enough to draw blood as two sides waged war inside his mind, _'Damn it! If I get it wrong, I'll be a genin forever but if I choose to quit, Sakura-chan and Sasuke will fail too… Damn it, what the hell do I do!?'_

Luckily, he didn't have to make his choice -at least not yet- as a small, near unintelligible whimper caught his attention. Surreptitiously turning his head to look to his left, azure eyes widened in surprise as he saw the stooped and shaking form of Hinata, head bowed and her hand slowly inching off of the desk. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was about to do.

Instinctively and _just_ like every other time in his life when he went up against impossible odds, Naruto's eyes hardened with determination. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow Hinata to give up, not after how far she had gotten and how much she had done for him.

Naruto knew that Hinata wasn't the most positive of people -a concept he really didn't understand, she was the _heiress_ to the Hyuuga clan, she should be practically _brimming_ with confidence and strength- and that bastard Ibiki had just destroyed the last bits of confidence that she had left with his little threat.

From what he knew of her, the poor girl probably thought she was doing her team a _favour_ by quitting. That way, at least they would have another chance even if they had ended up failing the tenth question and only she would end up getting in trouble from her clan. Even though he himself didn't have a clan, Naruto had been around enough of those pompous jerks to know how just _much_ they valued the 'honour' and 'image' of the clan and exactly how much trouble Hinata would get in by quitting right now.

And he knew, more so than _anything_ else in his life that he _could not_ let that happen, no matter what.

Ibiki watched with hidden curiosity as Naruto stood up, a slightly clawed hand raised in the air and a shadowed scowl on his whiskered visage. Unconsciously and without thought, the special jounin's body tensed, he didn't know what it was, but something was about to happen, something _epic_. He could just _feel_ it in his withered old bones.

And not a moment later, Ibiki was proven correct as Naruto forcibly brought his hand down and onto his desk, splintering the solid wood with the strength behind his blow and startling the shy Hyuuga sitting beside him with his outburst, "For all I care, take your test and shove it up your ass! Even if I don't get the question right, how could I become a leader without taking chances? So let's hear it, I'm not afraid because no matter what, I w_ill _become Hokage!"

Finished with his tirade, Naruto sat back down with a huff, arms crossed over his chest and an arrogant smirk slowly growing on his lips as he noticed the scarred special jounin's eye twitch in annoyance. _That_ should teach the bastard not to mess around with the people he cared about, and looking discreetly to the side, he was happy to see that Hinata had seemingly regained her confidence, although the unbridled look of _awe_ and admiration in her eyes -not to mention the light red hue painting her cheeks an adorable crimson- was quite a bit disconcerting. Oh well, at least he had gotten the job done.

On the other hand, both Sasuke and Sakura were looking at the blonde with something akin to disbelief, and for a single moment, the exact same thought ran through their heads in perfect synchronicity, _'I can't believe that baka actually did that…'_ Only for the both of them to sigh in resignation a moment later and close their eyes, identical smiles of happiness dancing on their lips, '_…But in the end, he's our baka…'_

Staring at the smug blonde for a moment longer, Ibiki finally broke eye contact as a despondent sigh escaped his lips. All that fool proof planning, all that effort into making these genin squirm in their seats and it all for naught because of a single blonde fool, _'Feh, kids got balls of steel to stand up to me like that, he's gonna be a hell of a leader one day…'_

And he would. No matter what anyone else thought, Uzumaki Naruto was a leader born, had been since the day of his birth when the Kyuubi no Kitsune had been bound to his eternal soul, and would be until the day that he died in a beautiful explosion of rage and power worthy of the blonde jinchuuriki.

It wasn't because of his strength, oh no, it was because unlike all those oh-so powerful and fear inducing leader's out there, the blonde had something they didn't, the sheer confidence and strength of will to follow his _soldiers_ into the depths of Hell itself for no other reason than to fight alongside them, the epitome that was the Will of Fire.

In the end, it came down to three things that almost guaranteed the blonde knucklehead's rise to power, three things that no Hokage could ever survive without

The first was power. Each Hokage, past and present was power incarnate. _Nobody_ could match them in the shinobi arts, they were the God's among men, human beings that had transcended the mortal bonds and limitations and become something _more_. With the King of Bijuu sealed into his very soul, Uzumaki Naruto had it in spades and then some.

The second was charisma. Any competent leader had to have the ability to willingly rally up his people, to call them into battle without a second thought. Whether they loved him or hated him, no matter whom they were, everybody followed Naruto, even though they might not realize it themselves.

The third and last was determination. No matter who you were, or where you came from, Ibiki could not think of one other person that had as much determination and _soul_ as Naruto, an enigmatic little ball brimming with the unknown yet so full of life you could practically see it rolling off of his frame. Who else could proclaim their dreams out to the world, unhindered by the outright denial and loathing he received in return.

Now if only the boy grew up some, then one day, Ibiki would be calling him Hokage-sama.

But seeing as Anko would be coming along soon, Ibiki broke himself out of his musings and scanned the room to see if anyone else was leaving. With a near indistinguishable growl, the special jounin realized that not only had the blonde's outburst shattered his carefully laid out plans, but it had also driven out any and all thoughts that the remaining genin had of giving up.

"I'll ask you again, your future is riding on this question. This is your last chance to quit, so if you want to, hurry up and do it." The special jounin warned, merely to sigh in defeat as Naruto spoke up again. Why couldn't he just let him do his damn job for once?

A smirk on his lips, Naruto leaned forward in his seat, eyes shining like the midday sun and simply _daring_ the jounin to prove him wrong, "I follow my _own_ rule, to never go back on my word no matter what, that's my ninja way."

Looking at the chuunin examiners, each and every one of them gave him a small, curt nod of their head, confirming what he had been thinking even since the surprising outburst. Oh well, there was no point in delaying the inevitable, he just hoped Anko had as much fun with them as he, especially that blonde haired brat.

"Good decision, now to all of you that are still here…" All the potential chuunin leaned forward in their seats, eyes wide with anticipation as Ibiki smirked, he fucking _loved_ this job, "…you all pass!"

In a manner eerily reminiscent to when he had first announced the tenth question, a ripple of shock spread through most of the genin but only for a moment as Sakura spoke up, a hesitant and tentative quality easily recognizable in her voice, "What… What do you mean we pass? What about the tenth question?"

Ibiki simply stared at the girl with an incredulous gaze before sadly shaking his head. Really, for someone that was considered to be the _smartest_ kunoichi of her generation, he would have thought that she would have been able to figure it out by now.

"There was never such a thing, or rather; you could say that the two choices were the tenth question." Ibiki explained. Seeing the Suna kunoichi open her mouth, he quickly interrupted, having already guessed what she was going to ask, "And before you ask, the nine questions before this were not pointless. They all had a specific and crucial purpose in this exam, to test your ability to discreetly and successfully gather information."

Temari closed her mouth with an audible 'click' of her pearly white teeth. Well, that answered her question. Looking over the room with the ease of a battle hardened kunoichi, teal coloured eyes surprisingly landed on the blonde haired genin from Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto.

She didn't know _what _it was about the blue-eyed runt, but there was something _different_ about him, something that made him who he was and it wasn't that foolhardy -at least in her opinion- determination. Even when she had first met him along with Kankuro and Gaara, she could tell that there was something _special_ about him and if there was one thing that Temari loved above all else, it was to solve mysteries.

However, before she could further entertain her thoughts about the blonde haired Uzumaki, the curt voice of the examiner tore through her ears, "Those that cannot gather information correctly do not deserve to be chuunin because at times…" Trailing off near the end, Ibiki reached up to the back of head, untying his bandana with a soft rustle of clothing and Temari had to stifle as gasp as she looked on in horror, "…information can be more important than your very existence. On missions and on the battlefield, people will give their lives to get their greedy little hands on it, no matter what the cost."

The _entirety_ of Ibiki's head was covered with scars, burn marks, and screw holes, obvious signs of painful torture by inexperienced hands.

"As for the last question, that was the _true_ purpose of this test." Ibiki started, his suddenly serious and sombre demeanor instantly setting the remaining genin on edge, "Let's say you guys become chuunin and you have a dangerous mission to steal an important document. You have no idea how well the scroll is protected, how many ninja there are, and what their abilities are, all of it is unknown to you. Now, do you accept this mission or no?"

"Because you don't what to die, because your friends might get hurt, can you refuse dangerous missions?" The genin, thinking he was actually asking them a question simply shrugged in response -causing Ibiki to wince at their stupidity- while the smarter ones stayed motionless.

"The answer is no!" Ibiki bellowed, causing a few of the genin to cringe painfully at the volume, "No matter what the danger or risks you may have to face, there are some missions out there that you _cannot_ refuse. If your Kage gives you an order, you better damn well do it and do it with pride and dignity worthy of a leader. Those who took the easy way out thinking they could always try again next year…those foolish cowards do not deserve the title of chuunin!"

Then the special jounin did something the genin thought he would never do, he _smiled_, warm, midnight black eyes looking at all of them with something akin to pride as he gave them all a small, genuine smile, "You guys have made it through the first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam with flying colors and for the future, I wish you all good luck."

However, before any of the genin could even think of celebrating, a giant ball of leather cloth shot through the window, shattering the plane of glass in a gleaming shower of innumerable little pieces before dual kunai shot out and lodged themselves deep into the ceiling at each corner of the front of the room.

The sphere of cloth quickly unravelled into a large, black banner embroidered with metallic silver letters, and Naruto had to restrain a strangled gasp of awe as it revealed a scantily clad kunoichi.

She had dazzling amethyst hair tied that spiked up into an exotic, comb-like pattern in the back while the rest of it cascaded down the sides of her face to end slightly below her jaw. Her skin was a flawless porcelain, radiating with perfection and setting her very form alive with brilliance in the artificial light of the room.

But despite her dazzling brilliance, her eyes were the jaded hazel of a hardened kunoichi, orbs that used to teem with life now nothing more than frigid pools of resentment and anger. Eyes much like his own, but unlike him who refused to give into the cold desolation brought on by giving into the whispers of your demons, she had _embraced _them, at least to a certain extent, or rather, it was more like she knew they were there, and just accepted them at face value, doing nothing to stop them but at the same time ignoring their very existence.

She wore hardly any clothing at all, rather deciding to take her feminine kunoichi charms to a whole new and unprecedented level. _Nothing_ but a single bodysuit like piece of fishnet clothing covered her naked figure, her round and supple breasts pressing up against the cold, lifeless metal in an alluring and intoxicating display of sensual appeal, just barely being held in their tight confines.

Thankfully -at least in the case of all the kunoichi present, the shinobi, on the other hand, were silently weeping at the loss being unable to see such beauty- a light tan trench coat covered most of her enticingly captivating body along with concealing the majority of her supple breasts.

Further down past her smooth, flat stomach and curvy, womanly hips, a dark, earthy brown mini-skirt covered her most sacred spot, but even then, just barely. The skirt ended a little more than half way down her thigh and was held together by two, midnight blue belts, one wrapped around her hips while the other wound up her stomach to just below her entrancing bust and disappeared around her back.

Below that, her creamy white legs were bare for the world to see before they were once again covered up by hazy white shin guards and -as with most of the other jounin he had seen walking in and around the village- a pair of navy blue shinobi sandals completed the assembly.

Azure eyes hazily trailed up the riveting form of Mitarashi Anko, for once in his life at a loss for words as he gazed at the alluring combination of sexiness and deadliness, all blended _perfectly _together to form the epitome of a deadly kunoichi.

"Don't start celebrating yet you punks! I'm the proctor for the second round of the Chuunin Selection exam, Mitarashi Anko!" The scantily clad jounin purred, her smooth, melodious yet seductively brash and outgoing voice breaking the blonde jinchuuriki from his thoughts.

All the genin winced slightly at the overly zealous entrance while unknown to all, Kabuto smirked slightly. He had always wanted to examine Orochimaru-sama's first successful experiment to survive the prototype curse seal and its virulent properties, and now he could.

"Alright you brat!" The eccentric jounin roared, enthusiastically pumping her fist into the air while the other stayed on her shapely hips, "Follow me to the next stage of the exam!"

The silence that met her from all the genin was deafening.

Off to the side, Ibiki smirked, black eyes glimmering with mirth and amusement as Anko sweat dropped at the comical silence, "You early Anko… And your timing couldn't have been worse." The scarred jounin said quietly, stepping out from behind the massive banner to stand beside the kunoichi.

Anko didn't answer, rather taking the time to scan over the classroom and quickly counting the remaining genin before turning an incredulous glare towards the Interrogation Specialist, "Holy shit, seventy eight!? Ibiki, you let _twenty six_ team's pass, this test must have been way too soft."

"It seems like we have a talented bunch this year." Ibiki replied calmly, not at all put off by the incredulous glare while discreetly motioning towards the blonde haired demon vessel, "I wouldn't be surprised if half of the rookies made it past even _your_ test."

Following his line of sight, Anko smirked as she her cunning hazel orbs landed on the black clad form of Uzumaki Naruto, abhorred jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and supposed 'dead-last' of his graduating class from the Academy. It was surprising to see him in the Chuunin Exam as a rookie considering all the things she had heard about him, but then again, considering her own situation, she should have known better than to believe everything she heard from those bigoted villagers and ninja.

Then again, maybe she was looking into it too much and Kakashi had only pushed his team to take the exam because he wanted his precious Uchiha to make chuunin, it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest bit, at least to her.

Even though the scarecrow didn't do it openly, everyone could literally _feel_ the smugness and conceited pride rolling off of the bastard whenever the Uchiha and anything battle related was mentioned. It was just like him to only focus on the most promising student and leave the other two to fend for themselves, no matter how much he _thought_ he had changed after Obito's death, _'Che, the fool probably thinks he doing his dead teammate a favour by only focusing on making his last living -and loyal- relative stronger to achieve a dream he could never hope to accomplish.' _

And she meant that wholeheartedly, both from personal experience and what she had heard about the prodigious ANBU Captain when he had surpassed her own rank.

She had worked with the traitorous Uchiha a few times in the past –after having been recently promoted to special jounin and the brat had already been a chuunin at the age of 10- and that kid was an absolute _monster_ when it came to the shinobi arts. Orochimaru had been _nothing _compared to Itachi when he was his age and the Snake Sannin had been considered a genius to come around once every ten years.

Not only did the brat have a fully matured, three tomoe Sharingan by the time he was eight, but he mastered each and every aspect of being a shinobi there was with a proficiency and speed that was unheard of from all but unparallel geniuses like the Shodai and Yondaime Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin.

His ninjutsu and hand seal speed was unmatched and thanks to the complete Sharingan, each and every jutsu Itachi encountered on the battle field was instantly copied and countered. Not only that, but his taijutsu was absurd thanks to his unbelievable bodily speed. Seriously, that kid could have been a match for Gai if he continued growing faster at the rate he was going.

It was a commonly known fact –at least to a large fraction of jounin level and above shinobi- that with enough speed, a Sharingan user could be beat. What good were eyes that could see everything if the body simply couldn't keep up?

So to make up for this weakness, Itachi trained...and he trained _hard._ Day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, he would be out in one training ground or another, slowly but surely getting faster and faster with each passing day until many people eventually thought of him being the second coming of the Yellow Flash of Konoha.

But his strongest and possibly most _terrifying_ ability was his unsurpassed gift for genjutsu. A talent for the illusionary arts so disturbingly strong that it made her good friend Yuuhi Kurenai look like an amateur. With naught but a single glance, Itachi could pull you into his very own world before you were even aware of what was happening, each and every sensation you felt completely under his control.

Itachi had been a _true _shinobi, unhindered by needless emotions and carrying out each mission with machine-like proficiency, at least before he slaughtered his entire clan save for his younger brother, and not before torturing the poor kid with a classified -even to someone of _her _rank- technique.

"Hey Anko, you okay…?" Ibiki questioned quietly, the slightest tinges of barely concealed concern lacing his voice for his friend startling the inattentive snake summoner from her thoughts. Now _that_ had been strange, Ibiki couldn't recall a time when he had actually seen Anko space out like that. One had to wonder what she was thinking about to cause that to happen.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Anko nodded slightly, a frown on her features and voice thick with something unidentifiable to both the Interrogation Specialist and apprentice of the Snake Sannin herself, "Yeah, I was just thinking…" Anko whispered softly before suddenly realizing -more like remembering- where she was.

"Alright you brats…" Anko announced after a moment of contemplation while turning her scheming hazel eyes to face the genin with a smirk, "…let's head out to where the second test for the Chuunin Selection Exam will be held, follow me!"

And with that, Anko jumped out the window and dashed off towards the outer ridges of Konoha, most of the genin swallowed slightly in apprehension before springing out of their seats and quickly following after the eccentric jounin.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto let out a low whistle of awe as he looked up into the blue skyline, massive, misshapen trees over taking his vision and covering the pure sapphire abyss that was the heavens with their unearthly monstrosity, "Damn… Now _those_ are some big ass trees…"

And by god were they _big_! Easily bigger than anything he had seen on his first trip out of Konoha to Wave. The trunk itself had to be twenty feet wide on the tree in front of him, and it grew up so high into the sky that he couldn't even see the top despite his heightened vision.

Off to his left, Sakura trembled unnoticeably as she gazed into the dark, oppressing woodland with wide, unwavering orbs, hands held in front of her body in an instinctive gesture to put some space between herself and the treacherous unknown, "Kami… That looks so creepy…"

The entire area seemed to be fenced off from the outside world, keeping the terrifying creatures of the night inside their confines with nothing more than a dozen incandescent metallic locks. A simply sign on the front reading 'Warning: Forest of Death' alluded to what was inside.

Sasuke merely scoffed, midnight black eyes quickly searching through the dark void that was the Forest of Death for any signs of what was beyond the inky darkness before understandably giving up. He doubted that even his Sharingan could see through to the other side –although he was sorely tempted to try, he would rather not give away any of his abilities before the exam even _started _to unwanted eyes- since no matter how clear and defined his vision was, they could not see what was simply not there to begin with.

"Hn, what's there to be scared about Sakura?" The Uchiha smirked, unbound excitement dancing within his eyes. The raven black orbs flashed a bloody crimson for a single moment, dual tomoe swirling in a hypnotic dance of power and illusions as the mere shadows of a third tomoe seeped into existence, only to disappear a moment later as the Sharingan flickered out of reality.

Sakura stared, a completely astounded expression on her visage before she nodded happily, emerald orbs gleaming happily in the mid-day sun and an absolutely blissful grin on her flushed cheeks. She couldn't believe it; Sasuke-kun had _intentionally _talked to her! Not just to say no to a date, not just to ask a question, but to actually make her feel better, _'Cha! Take that Ino-pig! Sasuke-kun will be mine yet.'_

But despite her ecstatic high, the insistent fear of the unknown still remained, a steady and unwanted reminder of what was to come hidden in the deepest ridges of her mind. She didn't know exactly _what_ it was, but something was going to happen today, something important that would forever change to lives of all those involved.

On the other hand, maybe she was just being too high strung about the upcoming test. In spite of everything, _Sasuke-kun_ –strongest genin from Konoha, last of the prodigal Uchiha, and Rookie of the Year- was going to be with her, and not to mention Naruto.

Absolutely _nothing_ could go wrong as long as Sasuke-kun -and to an infinitely lesser extent, Naruto- was going to be there to undeniably protect her. All she had to do was keep on encouraging him and not get in his way, and everything would be fine.

Incidentally, she seemed to have completely forgotten about 'her' Sasuke-kun's defeat at the hands of the taijutsu master Rock Lee not more than an hour ago.

"Alright you idiots, pay attention!" The snake mistress shouted, the quiet, unintelligible whispers of the genin slowly vanishing with the twisting wind, "This is where the second exam will take place, the forty-fourth training area, also known as the Forest of Death." Anko smirked, and the genin shivered at the casual yet creepy tone of her energetic voice.

"But…" she continued happily, the ever present smirk on her feminine face growing just a bit, "…before we can begin the second test, you need to sign these release forms." Reaching into her beige trench coat, the snake mistress pulled out a thick stack of forms.

"These are the consent forms, those taking the exam have to sign one to continue. And before you ask, this is so your parents don't come suing me when one of you annoying twerps go and die in the forest."

Ignoring the slight muttering, Anko bounced around the clearing, handing out the forms one by one before arriving at Team 7, namely, Naruto.

The blonde looked up at the snake charmer, a blonde eye brow raised in questioning as he accepted the offered form only to blink in surprise as Anko gave him a small, mischievous wink before running off.

Staring after her slowly shrinking back –and not to mention her partially concealed yet well shaped rear-, Naruto simply shook his head in resignation at the eccentricity of Konoha's jounin.

First there was his sensei, a lazy, porn loving _elite_ jounin that was late to each and every meeting, even the ones he himself assigned for Kami's sake! Then there was that spandex wearing freak with a strange fetish for green. He himself liked orange, scratch that, he _really _like orange, but with the way Gai dressed, one would think that green was the only color in this world. At least _his_ clothing had spots of blue in them.

And now, there was Mitarashi Anko.

He still didn't know what to make of the woman. While he knew that Kakashi would never change, always ignoring him and Sakura in order to better train Sasuke and that he would never truly take him seriously, at least the man was reliable where it counted most.

But more than that, something had happened to Kakashi when he was a child, something devastating. _Nobody_ got such a haunted look in their eyes -well, more like _eye _in the scarecrow's case- for no reason at all. While the lazy shinobi may be extremely hard to read, nothing could get past his shrewd orbs, it was one of the more guarded reasons as to _why_ he was able to survive on his own for so long.

On the other hand, Gai seemed to be the complete and utter opposite. Extremely headstrong and determined, the man seemed to teach all three of his students equally -at least from what he had seen of the three of them- while at the same time looking after each of their specific needs.

Then again, Anko appeared to be a strange mixture of the two, impulsive and proud to a fault, the psychotic kunoichi seemed to have gotten the worst of both worlds; the kinky and perverted mindset from Kakashi and the outgoing and simply outlandish personality from Gai.

Nevertheless, he still had an exam to finish, and so snapping himself from his disruptive thoughts; the blonde demon vessel looked down at the form, azure eyes quickly skimming over the nearly unintelligible text as he thanked the God's above from the bottom of his heart that Ayame-chan had taught him how to read and write.

It had all happened on the day of his very first visit to Ichiraku Ramen a little over six and a half years ago, but even now, he could still remember it as if it had happened yesterday.

**XX FlashBack XX**

The quiet pitter-patter of small, childish feet echoed through the empty streets of Konoha, a despondent sigh of boredom escaping through parted lips as Naruto aimlessly walked across the dirt laden road. He didn't really have anything better to do and it was one of the few times during the day where he could safely walk through the streets of his village, the harsh glares and cold shoulders having all but disappeared.

The sky was alight with an orange fire as the sun slowly disappeared over the horizon, the sharp glare causing him to squint painfully, only for his sapphire eyes to widen slightly in interest when a piece of paper caught his attention. Brimming with curiosity like any other six year old, the blonde ran forward, skinny legs quickly carrying him towards the gleaming object.

Picking up the bit of paper, the blonde jinchuuriki stared at it quizzically for a moment, trying to understand the strange, seemingly foreign letters imprinted on its shiny surface but despite his heartfelt efforts, he couldn't decipher it.

So shrugging nonchalantly, the azure-eyed demon vessel stuffed it in his tattered pockets and continued on his way. Hell, even though he couldn't read it, you never know when it might come in handy. In the world he lived in, -where he didn't really get all that much in the first place- each and every thing he had counted for something and would one day be useful.

As the soon to be Academy student walked down the steadily darkening street, he was surprised to notice a bright, yellow and inviting glow streaming out into the air from a quaint, little food stand. A smooth and delicious aroma floated into his sensitive nose, a slight trail of drool escaping the side of his mouth from the mouth-watering smell.

Unconsciously and to his undying embarrassment, a loud and hungry growl echoed through the empty streets, the jinchuuriki's face lighting up in awkwardness as he nervously looked around, _'I hope nobody heard that…'_

Deciding to heed the call of his hungry stomach, Naruto made his way towards the stand. He just hoped that they let him in to eat unlike all the other restaurants in Konoha. He couldn't remember how many times he had been kicked out –sometimes forcibly- from each and every restaurant he had tried to get into.

Two distinct and warm voices were laughing inside, and as the blonde looked up at the sign strung across the front of the stand, a nearly overwhelming sense of déjà vu struck his being. Quickly reaching into his pocket, Naruto pulled out the piece of paper he had picked up mere minutes ago, staring at the letters imprinted on its surface with a strange intensity before looking back at the sign.

'_I knew I'd seen them somewhere before…'_ While he still didn't have a clue as to what both the sign and piece of paper said, he could easily recognize the similarities between the tw.

Gathering up a last morsel of courage, Naruto walked forward, a small, twinkling chime going off above him as he pushed aside the hanging cover. A brown haired girl was standing behind the counter, a washcloth in hand as she swiftly cleaned the countertop with practiced ease.

Ayame looked up at the sudden noise, her eyes instantly drawn towards the small boy standing in front of her before a small smile lit up her face, "Hi there! Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, how may I help you?"

Naruto seemed to gulp slightly, completely taken off guard by the happy and delightful cheering from the girl. _Nobody_ in the village had _ever_ said 'hi' to him like that, hell, they barely _talked _to him, rather choosing to simply ignore his existence, at least in the case of the 'nicer' ones. He couldn't remember how many times he had to run away –sometimes successfully, other times not so much- from the angrier villages and those strange people that could stick to walls.

But it would do no good to delve on those thoughts now, not when the seemingly nice girl was patiently waiting for him, "I… I have this…" Extending his hand, the demon vessel showed the girl his paper. Although even as the brown-eyed girl reached forward to take the piece of paper, the blonde jinchuuriki slightly tensed his body, ready to make a run for it at a moment's notice.

While the girl _may_ seem friendly on the outside, it wasn't the first time somebody had simply _acted_ nice towards him to gain his trust. Only to lead him to a secluded spot a few days later where they would leave him for dead, barely breathing and covered in horrendous wounds that would takes months to heal completely. By the second time it had happened, he had learnt to trust no one, no matter how nice they were. The only one he could trust was himself, only he could care for himself and everyone else in Konoha would only try to hurt him.

Ayame stared at the slightly dirty and torn coupon in her hand, redeemable for any one dish free of cost at their restaurant. While she _was_ somewhat curious as to how the blonde had gotten his hand on it –especially after taking a good look at his slightly ragged appearance- she noticed another slight, yet important detail.

Frowning slightly, the young Ichiraku looked up to regard the nervous boy, "I'm sorry to say this, but this coupon has expired…"

Naruto simply nodded, having already known what would happen, "Oh, sorry to bother you miss…" But despite knowing that it would have happened eventually, the blonde jinchuuriki couldn't completely quell the feelings of hurt and betrayal from resurfacing. Just once, just one in his life, couldn't somebody be nice to him?

"But…!" Naruto stopped, hearing the surprisingly warm tone in her voice before turning back around and coming face to face with a grinning Ayame, "That doesn't mean I can't make an exception for you." After all, it wasn't like her father was going to get mad at her for giving a free meal to a first time customer.

So as the blonde boy hesitantly took a seat –and an unconscious part of her mind idly wondered w_hy_ a boy his age would act so nervous and hesitant-, Ayame reached under the counter and pulled up a menu before handing it to Naruto, "There you go, just pick what you want."

Naruto nodded, flipping open the menu and looking at the various dishes before realizing that he couldn't understand a single kanji. Discreetly glancing at the patiently waiting Ayame from the top of his eyes, the blonde jinchuuriki simply pointed to the first dish on the page that he saw, "I'll have this one."

"You sure?" Ayame asked suspiciously, only to receive a nod in return, "Well, if you say so." Oh well, let it never be said that she was one to refuse a customer, even if he _did_ have a rather…_acquired _taste of food considering his age. She could count on one hand the number of people that had come to their restaurant looking for ika sashimi, or rather, thinly sliced _raw_ squid coupled with cooked vegetables and a side of rice.

Walking to the back of the stand for an instant, Ayame returned not a moment later with…_something_ partially hidden with a clean cloth wrapped around it and began cutting up some vegetables as Naruto watched on in barely hidden curiosity. He had never been to a restaurant before –or rather, he hadn't been allowed into one- and it was quite an interesting experience to see all these new things, not to mention actually being able to talk to another person without him or her spitting on him in disgust, "So... You never did tell me your name and I know this is your first time visiting us."

Naruto stopped, a slight bead of hesitant nervousness collecting at the bottom of his stomach like a lead weight as he thought of what to tell her. While it was strange that the girl was actually being nice to him, it could also mean that she didn't know who he was just by looking at him. After all, it had happened quite a few times before. He would meet a nice person on the street, only for them to scorn him a moment later as they learnt his name and its meaning in this village.

So with a heavy heart, the blonde jinchuuriki mumbled out a response, fighting back the bitter tears as he waited for the inevitable hatred to come, along with the screams of fear and loathing before he was kicked out, "My… My name is… Uzumaki Naruto…"

A tense silence seemed to ring out in the open stand, and Naruto made to get up from his seat and leave. He would save both of them the trouble and simply disappear before she threatened to call those scary people with the masks. But before he could get up and leave, the pleasant, friendly voice of Ayame spoke up, a tingle of warmth shooting down his spine as an unfamiliar emotion exploded through his chest, "Nice to meet you Naruto-kun, I'm Ichiraku Ayame!"

Naruto seemed to blink once slowly, then twice, as if not comprehending what had been said before a brilliant yet sad smile lit up his whiskered prepubescent cheeks, radiating with the miserable happiness of one that had been alone his entire life.

Ayame watched on discreetly, infinitely surprised at the raw emotions shining in the blonde's depthless sapphire orbs, the very windows to a tortured and isolated soul too young to have lost its innocence. While she was only ten, she knew that eyes like those –so _utterly _alone yet brimming with a depthless determination- shouldn't belong to one as young as the jinchuuriki from the many looking at the _many _withered shinobi that came to their stand on an almost daily basis.

While she had instantly recognized the name of the 'Pariah of Konoha', he was nowhere near what she had expected after hearing all those various and degrading comments from the numerous customers they have had over the years. Then again, she should have known to always trust what she heard.

Most people that come to their quaint little stand think that just because she's cooking, she can't hear a thing they say, they couldn't be further from the truth. She had lost the number of times one patron or another had let slip some crucial information just because they thought no one was listening.

But back to the topic at hand, Naruto was _nothing_ like what the villagers had described him as, even though she could somewhat understand their reasonable fear of him considering what he contained within in tiny body. To think that a boy not even ten years old could contain such an indescribable beast, it was almost _maddening_ to think what their Yondaime Hokage had been able to do at the cost of his life. From what she had heard, Ayame would have thought the jinchuuriki would look like a demon, complete with infinitely sharp horns, loathing red eyes and crimson fur for skin. Then again, she _was _only ten years old so such childish thoughts were to be expected.

At long last, the simmering aroma of the cooked vegetables broke the young Ichiraku from her thoughts, and after quickly removing the frying pan from the stove, placed the vegetables onto a clean platter.

Putting the plate aside, Ayame unwrapped the miniature raw squid before slicing it into almost paper thing proportions, efficiently ladling them and the remaining tentacles onto the plate with the cooked vegetables before measuring on a scoop of rice.

Happy with her completed dish, Ayame promptly handed it to the now somewhat nervous Naruto as she looked on with apparent pride in her creation, "There you go, one dish of ika sashimi with a side of cooked vegetables and rice."

But Naruto didn't hear any of it, his sapphire orbs still eyeing the plate in front of him with barely concealed disgust. The vegetables and rice looked good enough, but what were those nearly see-through slices of…what the hell _was_ it in the first place, and he could have sworn that little tentacle like this just move!

"Umm, what's this…?" Naruto muttered, poking the thinly sliced squid.

Ayame stared at him for a moment, incredulity shining on her face before she spoke up, and Naruto had to suppress a wince as he noticed the slightly condescending tone, "_That _is what you ordered, ika sashimi with a side of rice and vegetables."

"Oh…" Damn it, _this _was what her ordered!? Deciding to at least _try_ it out since Ayame had been nice enough to make it for him, the blonde jinchuuriki grabbed a small piece before hesitantly popping in into his mouth, the cold juices of the raw squid running over his tongue.

Meanwhile, Ayame looked on in amusement as Naruto's face twisted into something resembling barely concealed disgust. She knew he wouldn't like the dish, she could count on one hand the number of people actually _liked _to eat it, it tasted like wet plastic for Kami's sake! But that did raise an important question, why would Naruto pick it if he knew he wouldn't like it?

So after a few more minutes of watching the blonde valiantly trying –and failing- to finish the squid, Ayame finally deemed it time to ask him, "Naruto…" The blonde demon vessel looked up with round, azure eyes, a half of a tentacle hanging out of his mouth in a beautifully adorable picture, "Why did you pick this if you knew you weren't going to like it?"

Naruto seemed to cringe slightly at the accusation before a sombre look overshadowed his face, head bowed towards the counter top and his voice oddly quiet. He _really _didn't want to admit it, but she was probably the only person nice to him in the entire village, and he just couldn't lie to her. And so gathering up some courage, the blonde swallowed his price and ground out three short words, "I… I can't read…"

Ayame frowned, her brow creasing in thought as she went over what she had heard. Hell, she knew that the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune might have been treated bad, what will all of the things she heard throughout her day, but even this was pushing it. To think that he had been ostracized enough that he couldn't even _read_, and he was already six years old?

However, before she could further lament on the mistreatment of a boy that didn't even deserve it, another thought crossed her mind, a Cheshire grin stretching across her cheeks and eyes shining with anticipation. Just because Naruto didn't know how to read didn't mean she couldn't teach him, "Well then, I guess I'll just have to teach you!"

Everything seemed to stop for a moment as Naruto stared wide-eyed at the grinning Ichiraku, "R-Really...?" But despite the fact that Ayame had been nothing but nice towards him the entire evening, Naruto still couldn't ignore the ingrained voice at the back of his head, built little by little after years of mistrust and betrayal from each and every person he met until it was more of a conscious being than an sense, or rather, a highly honed instinct.

"Sure, why not, I've got nothing else to do after coming home from school, so I might as well teach you. But you have to promise one thing…" Ayame grinned as Naruto leaned in closer, "Whenever you get the chance, you have to bring other people to eat here."

"That's it?" Naruto questioned slightly and Ayame nodded in return, causing him to smile warmly. Not only did he find a place that was actually allowing him to eat, but he was also learning how to read and write, this was the best day _ever_!

While all of the other orphans had been taught how to read and write by the matron, he had been kept in a room, the words of the matron still ringing in his head, _'A demon like you doesn't deserve to learn like a human being, all you know how to do is kill and destroy you little monster.'_

**XX End FlashBack XX**

From that day on, he had spent every chance he could get at the Ichiraku Ramen Stand, learning how to read and write bit by bit from the ever patient Ayame until he read and write as well as her, and for that, he would always thank them. He wouldn't have lasted nearly as long in the Academy if Ayame hadn't taught him such fundamental skills that nobody else would.

However, a quiet cough broke him from his musings, and Naruto looked up at the grinning face of the second examiner, Mitarashi Anko, "Well brat? Are you going to sign the damn form or are you going to chicken out?"

Scowling angrily at the provocative jounin, Naruto quickly signed the form before handing it to the special jounin with a huff, "Here you go, you psychotic bitch…" As if he would even _think_ of dropping out after getting so far.

Anko's grin only seemed to widen at the insult as she leered down at him, "Keep on talking brat, it's genin like _you_ that get killed the quickest."

And with that, the scantly-clad special jounin turned around and walked away. The blonde jinchuuriki's eyes unconsciously followed the hypnotic sway of her shapely hips, at least until her loud voice rang over the clearing, "Now that all the forms have been signed, here's what this test will be about. Simply put, you will have to survive for five days inside the Forest of Death. Not only that, but you will also have to complete an objective."

Reaching into her trench coat, the provocative jounin pulled out two scrolls, a shadowy blue one with the kanji for 'Earth' on it, and a pristine white on with the kanji for 'Heaven' on it, "Each team of three will get one of these, your task will be to get the opposite of the one you from the opposing teams using any means possible."

'_So that's why she made us sign those forms...'_ Naruto quietly thought to himself. It would make sense, after all. It wasn't as if the other participants were going to willingly give up their scroll, and whether they meant to kill the other person or not, accidents _could _happen. Adding to that, the forms also had the added effect of instilling a sense of dread in all of them, or rather, at least in those that were ill-prepared for the life of a shinobi.

He just hoped that Sakura was ready to do what was necessary, both for herself and for the team as a whole, but from the way she had been acting when reading over the form, he wasn't so sure. Sasuke, on the other hand, he knew he didn't have to worry about. There was no way that prideful bastard was going to fail after getting so far in the exam, even if it meant taking another genin's, another human _beings _life.

"Go to one of the ten covered booths lining the entrance to the Forest of Death to get a random scroll, and proceed to your designated gate assigned to you by the proctors in the booth. Once the exam has started, you will have a total of five days to get to a tower in the center of the forest with the both scrolls, because even if you do get to the tower, you will not be allowed to proceed without them."

With one last sadistic smirk, Anko let them be on their way with one final piece of advice, "Now get to it, the exam will start in thirty minutes and remember, don't die."

Twenty five minutes later, Team Seven was standing in front of gate fourteen, silently contemplating on who should be in charge of holding their earth scroll.

"I think Sakura-chan should hold it, not many people would expect her to have it, and if we do get ambushed by a team, we can fend them off while Sakura keeps the scroll safe." Naruto began, only to be cut off by his Uchiha counterpart.

"That's the stupidest plan I've even heard dobe, even from you." Sasuke scoffed, causing the blonde to glare balefully at him, "What do you think would happen if the third member of the team got past one of us? Do you really think Sakura would be able to defend herself? I should hold the scroll, I'll be able to protect it properly and keep any of the other teams away."

Ignoring Sakura's hurt expression and Naruto's increasingly frigid glare, the Uchiha scion grabbed the scroll and stuffed it into his kunai pouch, his decision final. After all, it wasn't as if Sakura or the dobe would be able to protect it better than him, so logically, he was the best choice to hold onto it.

Little by little, the seconds ticked by as the prospective genin stared at the clock above their gate, the big hand finally hitting the thirty minute mark just as the boisterous voice of Mitarashi Anko resonated throughout the clearing from the speakers, "Get ready brats, the second part of the Chuunin Selection Exam begins now!"

Team Seven jumped to their feet, the rusted metallic gate in front of them creaking open after what seemed like a millennia.

Naruto and Sasuke smirked, staring into the unending darkness of the forest before the blonde jinchuuriki stepped forward, fist raised towards the heavens and a defiant grin on his whiskered face, as if daring the _gods_ themselves to try and stop him, "Alright, let's do this!"

And with that, the three genin of Hatake Kakashi jumped into the unknown, the three separate clan crests embroidered on the back of their clothing seeming to glow with an inner fire before they too were swallowed into the dark void.

**XX AN XX**

_**My**_** perspective on the **_**normal**_** Sharingan and its abilities**

Firstly, it slows down the opponents movements. This is because the extremely increased vision clarity allows the user to see in much more defined details. Not only does this have the effect of slowing down the vision of the user, it also lets the user see details otherwise invisible to the normal eye, i.e. extremely fast speed.

Going with this, the Sharingan is able to see chakra and give it color, an ability which is not unlike the Byakugan's own ability to see chakra. But in the case of the Sharingan, the ability is not quite as advanced as those of the Hyuuga's.

Secondly, because of the heightened vision, the user can see the small, unconscious, twitches and movements of the opponent's muscles, along with the miniscule surges of chakra in any parts of the body. By combining these two details –which will create a shadow-like version of the opponent over laying the real body but already in its upcoming move-, the Sharingan user is able to 'see' into the future –figuratively speaking of course- and predict what the opponent will do by reading the movements of their chakra and muscular spasms.

Thirdly, the user is able to see through all genjutsu, along with being able to copy all ninjutsu –other than those that require a specific bloodline limit-, genjutsu, and taijutsu _even_ if the Sharingan user does not meet the requirements to use said jutsu.

Not only that, but with its fully matured form, the user is able to use a variety of genjutsu simply with eye contact.

Those are the powers and abilities that come with the normal, tomoe version of the Sharingan. All the abilities get stronger with the amount of tomoe that the user has and furthermore, not all abilities are available to a lower levelled Sharingan. For example, the prediction ability is only available to a fully matured, three tomoe Sharingan, while the ability to see chakra is available to even a single tomoe Sharingan.

Adding to that, some of the abilities require more chakra to use, while most of them are passive abilities that are always activated. Actually, the only ability that is able to be turned off is the ability to see chakra.

**End of perspective**

And there you have it. Whether you loved it or hated it, tell me what you thought of this chapter in a nice and meaningful **review**.

Now, here are some questions that came up in reviews and private messages…

Q – Kyuubi's/Kyoko's little taunting scene struck me as a little odd even if she _is _an evil demon?  
A – It might have been a slight bit confusing but I thought it was kind of obvious. In case you missed it, when Kyuubi's in human form, she begins to get more responsive to her emotions and more likely to act on them. Thus, even though _demon_ Kyuubi was apathetic at best towards the sealing, _human_ Kyuubi was one pissed off and angry bitch and thus lashed out against her jailor.

Q – Is Motoko just seeing things or is she being haunted by something or someone?  
A – Nope, she's just seeing things, kind of like fear induced hallucinations.

Q – Can Naruto see Hinata in a skimpy outfit to even out the score between her and Motoko?  
A – Hell yes! It _might_ be in the Forest of Death, but I will have to think of a proper scene.

Q – When will Naruto learn the **Rasengan**?  
A – _Probably_ sometime after the Chuunin Exam or maybe during the one month training period but I already have something planned for that.

Q – Will this be a harem?  
A – No.

Q – Will there be one sided Naruto/Ino?  
A – Yup! But it will be more of an Ino looking at Naruto as the new Sasuke type of thing since she _is_ pretty shallow…

Q – More information about Naruto's new eye doujutsu?  
A – More will be revealed during the finals and it, along with the Shinigami's chakra will completely (at least most of it in any case) explained after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.

Q – When will Naruto use his new ability? (I'm assuming he's asking about the quasi bloodline limit)  
A – He will use it in the finals.

Q – Isn't the demonic equivalent of chakra youki and not yokai?  
A – Maybe, I think you're right but I like the way the second one sounds. Might go back and fix it, but then again, I am one lazy mother…

Q – Was the lemon a tribute to Kaiza and Tsunami of Wave?  
A – Sure, why not…

Q – When will Kakashi get bashed?  
A – During the one month training time where he takes Sasuke for training and leaves Naruto behind and voila, enter pissed Sarutobi Sasuke.

Q – What will happen when Orochimaru tries to summon Yondaime now that he's stuck inside Naruto?  
A – Firstly, Yondaime is _not_ stuck inside of Naruto. And secondly, you'll have to wait and see.

Q – When will Hinata become more predatory for Naruto?  
A – Well, she won't become predatory per say, but she will take an active role after the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Yeah, I know, long ways away.

Q – Why can't Naruto combine wind and fire to create lightning since lightning is nothing more than super charged heat?  
A – The main reason is because it simply cannot be done. When oxygen is introduced to heat, it causes combustion _if_ there is fuel available. The second reason is because lightning is _not_ super charged heat; it's a type of plasma in the form of electrical discharge.

Well, there you go. I had hoped to get up to the preliminaries, but I guess that will have to wait until the next chapter titled, Forest of Burning Leaves.

I hope all of you can forgive me for the seemingly endless wait that it took to get this chapter out, but I know that it was completely my fault. In the end, all I can do is hope for your forgiveness, and look forward to those bountiful reviews.

Lastly, I would like to thank **DarkHeroOrion**, **Paladeus**, and **pudgypudge** for helping me throughout this chapter. It wouldn't be half as good as this if I didn't have the help of those three. So until next time,

Ja Ne!


	10. Forest Of Burning Leaves

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** Matrix_Explosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata x Motoko

**Word Count:** 26,610

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** January 04, 2009

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Alright, here's the next chapter of Rise of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch!

**Make sure you read the ending A/N even if you do usually skip it.**

But before I get into that, I would like to take a moment to apologize for the quality for my previous chapter. Well, not really, since it _was_ more of a filler chapter used for some character development. But over and above that, I'm more disappointed in myself for publishing something of such low quality.

Now, for some important news. I just realized I have hit the 500 review mark, and for that, I would like to thank all of you, my readers, for giving me such a reward. Now, let us march on towards the one thousand mark with renewed vigour and topple the chains of oppression.

Anyhow, as promised, a lot of new stuff happens in this chapter among other things, including a hefty dose of fight scenes, some insight on how Anko regard demon containers and whatnot. Since the fight scenes are pretty new for me, tell me if I did a good job or not.

**Make sure you read the ending A/N even if you do usually skip it.**

So without further adieu:

Here's chapter 10…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 10 - Forest of Burning Leaves**

A plethora of curses left the blond haired jinchuuriki's mouth as he jumped from the sturdy tree branch, spider web-like cracks expanding down its length from the controlled explosion of chakra before he landed beside his raven haired teammate.

They had been in this damn forest for seven hours…

Seven _fucking_ hours and they still hadn't run into a single team.

Turning to face his stoic teammate, Naruto frowned slightly as a panting Sakura landed next to them. Instead of heading towards the tower and waiting for another team to come by like he had wanted, the arrogant bastard had decided to scour the entire forest looking for a team himself. And Sakura, being who she was, had quickly agreed with him.

And now, here they were, tired, hungry, and above all, vulnerable. Well, at least Sakura and Sasuke looked tired and hungry; he could go on without stopping for at least another few hours before the lack of rest and food started take its toll on his body, "So now what teme? It was your idea to go looking for a team and it's been seven hours since we even seen another person."

"Shut it dobe, as if you had a better plan." Shooting him a frigid glare, Sasuke looked down at their surrounding without another word, hoping to find someplace good to stop.

Not that he would ever admit it, even under pain of death, but now that he thought about it, the blonde's plan _had_ been better than his. They could have quickly gotten to the tower, setting up traps along the way to ambush the other teams that would undoubtedly head towards them and then wait at their leisure.

It wasn't as if his plan hadn't been a good idea, at least at that time, but he had severely underestimated just how large the Forest of Death was. Even though they had been running for the past several hours, the raven haired Uchiha doubted they had even covered half of it. Oh well, there was no use crying over spilt milk, all they could do was deal with the situation in the way they were taught to, quickly and efficiently.

Quickly taking a brief glance at the ground below them, Sasuke's black orbs widening slightly before he abruptly jumped down through the dense branches, landing on the soft, mouldy earth in a seamless crouch. Behind him, he could hear two more pairs of feet -one a weightless feather, the other an earth shaking mountain- hitting the malleable earth, signifying the arrival of his teammates.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong? Shouldn't we be looking for the other teams?" Sakura piped up, grasping her hands in front of her body in an unconscious, guarded motion. While she was happy for the small reprieve from running, she would much rather continue on their search and get out of the freaky forest. She wouldn't have believed some of the things that existed if she hadn't seen them with her own eyes.

"Something doesn't feel right." Ignoring the startled look from Sakura, and surprisingly, the slight nod from Naruto, his hand slowly inched towards the pouch on his thigh and pulled out a kunai. Unseen to all, chakra began coalescing behind his eyes, ready to turn on his clan's coveted bloodline limit at a moment's notice.

Naruto followed suit, pulling out a kunai from his holster and holding it in a reverse grip, his ears twitched slightly at the smallest of sounds. It was quite, almost unnaturally so for a forest abundant with wild life.

Taking a step back, Naruto and Sasuke stood back to back, slowly revolving in a circle and desperately trying to figure out where the near queasy feeling was coming from. It was almost like that time with Zabuza, only ten times worse. It felt as if the entire forest was slowly suffocating them, a near indescribable aura of malice shrouding entire area in its unrelenting grip.

The blonde's head snapped to the side as he heard a twig snap, and that's when he felt it, the tell tale sign of wind natured chakra. After having spent so much time working on fuuton jutsu with Jiraiya, he could easily recognize the chakra-laden air used to create and shape wind natured ninjutsu.

It was nothing more than a soft touch, a slight caress that flew through his blonde locks as his sapphire orbs widened, "Shit! Sakura, Sasuke, move!" The jinchuuriki screamed, jumping into the air.

Sasuke jumped to the side, instincts and a sharp mind knowing better than to argue with the urgency in Naruto's voice. Hitting the ground in a roll and stopping in a crouch, the last loyal Uchiha spun around, obsidian eyes morphing into crimson red as a veritable cyclone of wind and trees flew inches within his face.

Twin tomoe spun in each orb, watching his two teammates and recording their every move. Sakura seemed to be okay, even though she had been caught in the center of the typhoon; her excellent chakra control seemed to have saved her. His Sharingan could see the slight sheen of chakra at the bottom of her feet, allowing her to stick to the ground and not be swept away in the tumultuous winds.

Looking up, the Sharingan endowed adolescents scarlet eyes widened as he saw his blonde teammate soaring through the air, a hand in front of his narrowed eyes to shield him from the upcoming winds.

"Damn it Naruto! Get out of there _now_!" Sasuke shouted, and the last Uzumaki quickly put his hands together into a cross shaped seal, panic fuelling his hasty actions only to stop as the condensed wall of wind slammed into him and the world turned upside down.

Naruto futilely tried to right himself as the tempestuous winds carried his prone body through the air, a strangled scream escaping his mouth a moment later along with a bout of blood as his back arched unnaturally around a gigantic tree with a sharp crack.

Gritting his teach against the mind numbing pain, Naruto slowly pulled his hands together, arms straining against the incredible pressure of the fuuton technique. If only he could make some clones, they could pull him free.

But it seemed that lady luck was not on his side as the tree behind him seemed to groan, a jagged fracture appearing at the base before the entire thing tore itself free from the ground and into the air, the Kyuubi no Kitsune's jinchuuriki flying with it.

At long last, the hurricane-like winds died down, but the azure-eyed jinchuuriki was nowhere to be seen, having been swept away into the depthless forest. Knowing that there was nothing he could do, at least in their current situation, Sasuke quickly walked towards Sakura while taking in her bloodied arms and legs with an apathetic gaze, "Stay close, whoever launched that attack is still out there…"

"And you would be right Sasuke-kun." The remaining two members of Team 7 whirled around, a kunai in each of their hands as they watched on in morbid fascination.

A pale white hand reached out of the tree in front of them, the wooden surface rippling like water as a clothed arm came next, only to be followed by the body of one of the Kusagakure genin they had seen in the exam.

Sickly yellow eyes swept over the two Konoha genin, a twisted smile of amusement lighting the man's face as gazed into the crimson red orbs of one of the last Uchiha, "Such powerful eyes for one so young, you truly are Itachi's brother…"

Tightening her Academy taught stance, Sakura turned towards her remaining teammate, only to find him looking at the strange genin with wide, disbelieving eyes, "H-How do you know that name!?"

The pale man began to chuckle but the soft, nearly unintelligible sound soon turning into maniacal laughter, "Well now, shall we begin?" The Kusa genin whispered; his yellow, snake like eyes flashing for naught but a moment before Sakura and Sasuke's world exploded in pain.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A slight groan of pain left the blonde's mouth as he slowly came to, the world around him nothing but a blur of shapeless colors and colorless blobs to his dulled senses and throbbing body, "What the hell just hit me?" The blonde grumbled lightly.

Slowly blinking his eyes open, memories of what had happened rushed back to him, _'Now I remember, we were attacked…_" Oh well, at least he was in one piece after that little attack.

Breaking out of his thoughts and seeing that his team could need his help, the blonde slowly put a hand underneath himself, trying to pick himself up off of the soft floor only to stop as sharp, stinging spasms of pain shot down his back and black and white dots exploded across his vision.

Crumpling back onto the mossy dirt, the orange-clad genin let out a soft hiss of pain as the twinges slowly subsided. Screw _that_, his team could wait. He was content with simply waiting here until the damn pain in his back stopped and dream up imaginative ways to kill the guy that had blasted him half way across the forest.

Hey, wait, now _there's_ an idea. Deciding to do just that, Naruto slowly rolled over onto his back, grimacing softly once again before letting the coolness of the slightly moist earth ease his pain.

A few moments passed in silence before a soft rustling of the leaves brought the blonde out of his pain induced stupor. Cracking open a single cerulean eye, Naruto surprised even himself as he regarded the gigantic snake above him with a calm, reserved gaze that would make Uchiha Sasuke proud, the endorphins coursing through his blood doing wonders on his normal mental functions.

The snake seemed to rear its head at his apparent lack of fear, its forked tongue flickering out at random intervals as he stared into its bleak hazel eyes, "Hey, shouldn't I… you know… be running?" Naruto quietly asked himself but didn't put much thought into it.

He didn't know why, but he felt so freaking _good_ just lying there on the soft ground. All the troubles of the being a ninja seemed to melt away, and all was good in this god forsaken world. It was only as the enormous reptile decided that enough was enough and lunged towards him did the blonde snap out of his endorphin induced euphoria, but by then, it was too late.

Only one thought went through the blonde's head as the world went black and the putrid stench of rotting meat assaulted his sensitive nose, _'Well damn, Kami must really hate me.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

'_W-We have to run, we can't fight him and survive…'_ Frantic crimson eyes darted around, beads of unrelenting sweat trickling down his temple as the Uchiha scion searched for any possible escape There was no way they could stay and survive against this, this _demon_,there only hope was to run. Now if only his damn body would _move_.

The Kusa genin in front of them seemed to chuckle to himself before pulling out two kunai, the raw killing intent around them only intensifying as he raised a pale hand, "I had really hoped you would put up a better fight Sasuke-kun, but it seems that the Uchiha blood running through your veins has only been wasted on you." And with a flick of his wrist, the two kunai flew towards the petrified Konoha genin, intent on ending their miserable existence.

Sasuke threw one kunai towards the one soaring towards Sakura while bringing the second one towards his leg, tearing through skin and muscle alike in a spray of deep crimson before hitting the bone. Pain unlike anything else shot down his nerves, but it had served its purpose.

The killing intent disappeared like a summer breeze and chakra surged through his legs as Sasuke flew towards the terrified Sakura, the kunai thrown by the grass nin having been deflected away harmlessly by his own.

Sweeping the girl into his arms, he crouched down before jumping into the tree's, the bark beneath his feet shattering with each step. He just had to get away, _had _to_, _he couldn't die before he completed his ambitions.

A ripple of pain exploded through his jaw as his head whipped back, blood and saliva flying through the air as he lost his footing and fell the twenty or so feet to the ground. Landing with a thud, Sasuke stared into the sky with unseeing eyes as the throbbing slowly died down before focusing on the smirking grass nin standing on the branches above him.

"S-Sasuke-kun… A-Are you okay?" Sakura whimpered quietly, the paralyzing effects of the killing intent quickly fading but the small tremor in her voice was still easily visible. Getting up from where she had fallen after their mad dash for escape, the cherry blossom slowly made her way over towards Sasuke as he too got up, small winces of pain overtaking his usually expressionless face every so often.

"Well then, now that the prey has been caught, shall we continue our little game?" The slippery voice of their foe floated through the air, snapping them out of their thoughts and reminding them of just where they were.

Both Sakura and Sasuke seemed to shrink back in fear as the reptilian-like genin sauntered closer and closer, his pale yellow eyes alight with amusement.

Sasuke grit his teeth, furiously trying to come up with a way to get out of their situation alive and find Naruto so they could continue the exam, _'Think damn it, why would he be after us?'_ A tense moment passed before his crimson eyes widened. Of course! Why else would he be after them?

Sakura watched from the corner of her eyes as Sasuke reached into his pouch and pulled out the earth scroll they had received, a growing sense of horror slowly settling in the pit of her stomach as he held it towards the Kusa genin, "Sasuke-kun! What are you doing?"

Seemingly ignoring her, the last loyal Uchiha stepped forward, feigned confidence pushing him forward until he stood only a few meters away from the amused genin, "I will give you scroll, that's why you're after us, right? So here, take it and leave us alone."

"B-But Sasuke-kun," Sakura stammered, "We need that scroll to pass the exam."

The boy spun around, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the scroll and a warning flashing through his now midnight black eyes, "Shut it Sakura, I'm trying to get us out of here _alive _and we can always get another scroll. Now if you have a better idea, let's hear it."

Shrinking back from the harsh words, the emerald-eyed kunoichi lowered her head and unconsciously moved her hands in front of her body, as if to ward of the harsh reality that they were in.

Thinking he had finally gotten through to her, Sasuke turned back around and continued on his walk towards the Kusa nin, scroll held forward when a soft whisper, nothing more than a quiet murmur shattered through his fear clouded mind, "Naruto would have never quit, he would have fought for his life, or died trying…" But despite how quietly they had been said, the shocked Uchiha heard them as clear as day.

Unbidden, images from a time long past flashed through his mind; a time when they had been faced with an opponent they had no chance of defeating, just like now.

He could still feel the cold, concrete bridge underneath him and the sharp dampness of his clothes was burning on his skin, but that wasn't what had caught his attention.

An ashen white boy stood above him, his usually vibrant golden hair nothing more than a bleached yellow, near white overtaken by black streaks. Bloodied holes littered his dirtied orange jumpsuit as the innumerable senbon piercing his body were pushed out by an unknown force.

Bu the clearest image of them all was of the aura of power surrounding the boy, twin spirals of energy personified moving about his frame, one a liquid fire, the other an endless death.

He could still remember it like it was yesterday, and he doubted he would forget it until the day that he died.

Turning back to look at his female teammate, the raven haired Uchiha was surprised -and with a detached sort of wonder, he realized that he seemed to be getting surprised a lot these last few days- to find her glaring at him, her sea foam green eyes shining with an inner fire and filled with a strength of will that would make Uzumaki Naruto green with envy, "And besides, who said that he would just let us go, even if we _did_ give him out scroll?"

"It seems that the kunoichi of the team is the brains of the group." A long, snake-like tongue darted out between two, light red lips before disappearing back into their depths, "Now then Sasuke-kun, what will you choose? Will you give me your scroll and possibly go free, or will you fight me till the very end? The choice is all yours; just make sure you make the right one…"

He knew he was outclassed, hell, he knew he didn't stand a _chance_,but he realized that it would be a cold day in hell before Uchiha Sasuke gave up without a fight. If he couldn't even fight this one genin -but by now, he _seriously_ doubted this psychopathic man could even remotely be considered a genin-, how on earth did he expect to beat Itachi, a man who had slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan by himself?

Besides, his leg was beginning to go numb from the self-inflicted injury, and if he didn't get it patched up soon, he would end up fainting from blood loss sooner or later, so he might as well get this over with and quick.

Well that, and he knew for a fact that if he had ended up giving the scroll to their enemy, Naruto would personally shove an exploding kunai down his throat before dumping him in an empty grave. So that wasn't really an option anymore.

And so, with a small, arrogant smirk slowly taking over his features, Sasuke slowly placed their earth scroll back into his holster before slipping into the Uchiha's taijutsu stance as crimson bled over black, "Feh, I know that dobe wouldn't give up without one hell of a fight, so do you honestly expect me, a noble Uchiha to do it?"

And with that Sasuke shot forward, knowing he only had one chance and the Kusa shinobi grinned in preparation.

The Uchiha dropped to one knee, trying to sweep the legs from underneath the eccentric genin, but the grass nin jumped up. Flipping onto his hands, a sandaled heel rushed down, only to be blocked by Sasuke's crisscrossed arms with a soft, muffled thud.

Smirking, the adolescent grabbed the surprised man's legs, chakra surged through his arms for a moment as muscles bulged slightly before he threw the shinobi. Sasuke watched, awed as the man flipped through the air before landing _sideways_ on a tree some twenty feet away.

A small water-like ripple seemed to expand outwards from the man's feet as he landed, the small wave painfully clear to his enhanced eyes before he pushed off, shooting towards him faster than ever before.

Sasuke dived to the side as the veritable missile sailed past him, nothing more than a blur to even his Sharingan when the Kusa genin's left heel dug into his stomach, stopping him midair.

Blood and saliva flew from his mouth as he sailed off of the branch and towards the unrelenting ground. Thinking quickly, sapphire blue chakra surged through his hand before he quickly latched onto the tree beside him with a grimace of pain, the added friction quickly slowing his rapid descent to a complete stop.

Jumping the last ten or so feet, Sasuke landed in a crouch, carefully cradling his faintly burnt hand with the other. While using chakra to slow his fall had been a good idea, the added friction had created enough heat to blister the skin on his hand.

Glancing up, he saw the snake-like genin still standing sixty or so feet above him, a small, condescending smirk easily visible on his ghostly pale skin. Leaves and dirt exploded outwards as Sasuke jumped up the tree and towards his opponent.

Grabbing the branch above his enemy, Sasuke spun around once, disappearing for a single moment from the yellow-eyed genin's gaze before flying towards him with a heel drop, the extra spin only adding to his speed.

The pale man smirked, hands outstretched to grab the Uchiha's legs only to have them phase through his fingers. A second later and he felt himself flying off of the tree branch as Sasuke's foot connected with the small of his back.

Jumping after the airborne Grass shinobi, Sasuke's fist shot out, preparing to utterly decimate the pale man's smirking face only to meet an unyielding palm blocking his attack.

The Uchiha's other hand whipped across his body, grabbing the Kusa genin's collar in an unrelenting grip as he viciously pulled the freaky shinobi towards him.

A soft, meaty thud echoed through the forest as Sasuke's metallic headband met the Kusa genin's nose, followed by a small shower of blood as cartilage and soft tissue gave underneath the unbending metal.

Quickly taking advantage of the man's lapse of concentration, Sasuke flipped him upside down before wrapping his arms and legs around his torso as they rocketed towards the gigantic tree branch below them at mind boggling speeds.

A second later and the ancient tree shuddered from the force of their landing, spider web-like cracks expanding from the point of impact like a cancerous disease.

A moment of complete and utter silence passed before Sasuke cracked open a single crimson eye ever so slowly, not daring to believe that it was actually over and that he had beaten such a monster. But as he looked down at the surreal face of the snake-like genin, his usually superior visage twisted into one of shock as blood and cranial fluid made a puddle below them, he couldn't help but release a sigh in relief.

But that relief only lasted a moment as the supposedly dead body collapsed into a pile of mud a second later.

'_Shit! A mud clone.' _Sasuke fumed, jumping up from where he had fallen on his back.

He instantly leapt back as a blur of motion destroyed the tree branch in front of him, only to throw up his arms in a half assed block as a brutal leg shot out of the debris and sent him flying.

Sasuke flew backwards and the Kusa shinobi followed with unrestrained glee. This was far beyond what he had expected from the Uchiha, he would truly make the perfect vessel after a few more years of physical and mental conditioning.

And once he had those wonderful eyes for his own use, he would be nigh unstoppable, a God among men.

A sudden haymaker from Sasuke caught him in the throat, bringing him out of his inattentiveness as he choked. Another punch blasted across his face, throwing his back against a tree and he cursed his carelessness. While the Uchiha was nowhere near powerful enough to even make him sweat, the boy _was _a step -well, more like _three_- above your regular genin.

Sasuke landed nimbly on a tree adjacent from the pale man, chest heaving from exertion and fatigue. He had to finish this and quick. With the way it was going, he would lose simply because the other genin lasted longer than him.

Dual fuuma shuriken slipped into Sasuke's hands as his Sharingan span faster, near invisibles wires glinting in the midday sun before they flew towards the patiently waiting shinobi.

The Kusa genin settled into a crouch, preparing to dodge the spinning windmills of death when they suddenly careened to the side, crisscrossing over each other before shooting off into the distance. The hidden wires pulled taut, wrapping around the amused nin before binding him to the tree "Now what do we have here? To think you can already use that Sharingan of yours to predict my moves this far ahead."

Sasuke smirked while flying through seals, a single wire clenched between his teeth as Sakura watched on, awed at the sheer display of skill, "Hehe, you should have ran when you had the chance Kusa scum, now feel the wrath of the Uchiha Clan, **Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique)**!"

A blaze of crimson fire surrounded the Uchiha before shoot down the chakra-laden wire and consuming the now nervous shinobi in a scorching flare. An ear shattering scream echoed through the forest a moment later, drowning out the noise of the raging conflagration and crackling trees with its ear splitting volume.

Ultimately, the inferno died down, the chakra sustaining the jutsu having been consumed while revealing the slightly smouldering and still body of the snake-like genin.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the exhausted Uchiha abruptly collapsed to his knees, his entire body wracked with tremors as the rush of adrenaline and the excitement of battle left him feeling weak and queasy. At least he had done it. Now, all they had to do was get the dead nin's scroll, find the dobe, and continue this exam.

A moment later, Sakura landed next to him, a roll of bandages in her hands as she meticulously got to work bandaging his injured leg, "You did it Sasuke-kun! I knew he didn't stand a chance against you!" The emerald-eyed kunoichi piped up, and Sasuke winced slightly at the volume.

Good god, even in the middle of an exam where stealth was a key factor, she still couldn't learn to talk quietly. Then again, with all of the noise he had just made a moment ago fighting that freak of nature, it was kind of a moot point by now.

Besides, he had just defeated the strongest opponent he had ever faced; it was only a matter of time before he caught up to and surpassed Itachi.

A few moments of silence passed as Sasuke reflected on his first serious battle –the Demon Brother's didn't really count since Kakashi-sensei had been there to bail him out- and Sakura quickly finished tying up the bandages when he sensed -more than saw- her open her mouth to say something, only to freeze midway.

Slightly tilting his head in her direction, Sasuke's now midnight black eyes widened imperceptibly at he looked at her horrified orbs, mouth open and face aghast. More than a little unnerved, the hesitant Uchiha slowly followed her line on sight, a gut wrenching feeling slowly making itself known as he laid eyes upon the body of the bound genin.

The chest of the supposed corpse of the Kusa shinobi seemed to be heaving up and down, and before long, a dark, demented chuckle wafted through the air, freezing the two Konoha genin in their tracks, "And just _what_ did he manage to do, little girl?" The man hissed, the taut wires binding him snapping like so much wet paper as he casually walked forward.

"I-Impossible…" Whispered a horrified Sasuke, slowly getting to his feet as the grass nin continued to saunter towards them. Even though the ridiculously hot wires had cut through the man's clothing, not a single scratch seemed to be on his body.

The only thing that had been even remotely burnt was the genin's face, the skin seemingly having sloshed off from the intense heat. That, and his headband now adorned a musical symbol instead of the revered Leaf of Konoha.

"Not impossible Sasuke-kun, _inevitable_." A single, pale hand rose, forming a half ram seal before Sasuke and Sakura were engulfed in a sea of killing intent.

'_D-Damn it, not again, my body's frozen_.' Try as he might, he couldn't break the invisible paralysis, hell, he couldn't even twitch a single finger without having a lance of pain spike down his spine.

"I can see the power in your eyes, power great enough to surpass Itachi. All it needs to come out is a simple push, one which I am more than willing to provide."

The Sharingan blazed into existence once more, the twin tomoe in each orb weaving around the pupil and fuelled by the anger and hatred of its master, "Who the _hell _are you!? How do you know Itachi?" Sasuke demanded, his muscles twitching agonizingly as he strained to move towards the bastard.

"My name is Orochimaru, one of the three Densetsu no Sannin. If you wish to know more about your brother Sasuke-kun, then survive and pass this exam. That is, _if_ you can manage to defeat my trio of Sound genin and obtain their heaven scroll." Finished with his spiel, a heaven scroll materialized into the Snake Sannin's raised hand before bursting into bright, violet flames.

Another strange hand seal later, and the newly proclaimed Orochimaru's jaw snapped open, vicious fangs gleaming dangerously in the sunlight as his neck extended and shot towards the immobile Uchiha.

Not a moment later did those same fangs sink into the soft, supple flesh of Uchiha Sasuke's neck, venomous purple chakra and blood seeping into the twin puncture wounds before spreading through his veins and chakra circulatory system.

A sudden jolt shot through his body as Orochimaru smirked, his fangs popping out of his neck with a near silent sucking sound. Retracting his neck back to its regular length, the Snake Sannin flashed a vicious smirk as the Uchiha scion fell to his knees and his pink haired teammate rushed to his side.

"What did you do to Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura screeched in confusion and fear while turning to face the slowly disappearing missing nin.

The Sannin gave one final glance towards Sasuke just as his body disappeared into the tree branch below him, "I gave him a little something to help him with his ambition, all you have to do is make sure he survives the night." And with that, he vanished.

Sakura stared at the spot where the infamous missing nin had melted into before a pained cry broke her out of her thoughts. Returning her attention towards her crush, her emerald orbs widened in surprise as she stared at his neck where the Sannin had bitten him.

Three, solid black tomoe were slowly fading into view around the puncture marks which continued to ooze a thick, dark purple substance. Not knowing what to do and with desperation slowly sinking in, the kunoichi of Team 7, stood up, intent on finding some help, "Hang in there Sasuke-kun, I'll go get some help. Just please, hang on…" However, before she could go bounding off, a hand caught her by her arm, the vice like grip squeezing painfully.

Sakura whirled around, emerald eyes teary with desperation gazing into obsidian black, and what she saw caused her to gasp. The normally expressionless eyes of the aloof Uchiha Sasuke were staring into her own, silently pleading her, imploring her to not leave him, not now, not when _he_ needed her most.

Seeing the look in her teammate's eyes, the misty-eyed kunoichi nodded without a second thought.

Sasuke managed one, small, genuine, and heartfelt smile before a heart wrenching scream tore its way through his throat, the raw and primal pain within the wail of misery causing tears of sorrow to form in Sakura's eyes.

His limbs slowly became heavier and heavier, spasms and involuntary jerks attacking his body as the small, tingling sensation intensified into a never ending throbbing.

Then all of a sudden the spasms stopped, but before he could feel even a modicum of relief, liquid fire seemed to spread through his veins as all his muscles contracted with a flare of violet chakra.

A second scream tore through the forest when at long last; unconsciousness claimed the prince within its sweet embrace and he collapsed onto the sturdy tree branch below him.

"No, no, no, please wake up Sasuke-kun!" A frantic Sakura cried, hysterical tears streaming down her pale cheeks, _'W-What should I do…? What _can_ I do?'_

All of a sudden, images of a smiling blonde with six whisker-like gashes on his cheeks flashed through her mind, his incandescent twilight-blue orbs filled with determination and the unbeatable strength of will that could only belong to Uzumaki Naruto.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sakura frowned in resolute determination. Naruto and Sasuke-kun would never give up on her, no matter what situation they were in, and neither will she. She was tired of being left behind by them, now it was _her _turn to show them what she could do.

Nodding to herself once more, the pink haired genin rose to her feet and slowly lifted the unconscious Uchiha onto her back, wincing slightly as she felt his scorching skin on her back. He was practically burning up from whatever it was that was in that bite. Making sure he was safely secured on her back, the emerald-eyed adolescent carefully jumped back to ground level.

Now all she had to do was find a shelter of some kind, and they could spend the night there in relative safety. After looking around for a bit, she came across a large canopy of trees and undergrowth, a somewhat large opening in the side with festooning branches above that provided shelter from the elements.

Lowering herself into a crouch and gently placing Sasuke on the ground, Sakura dug into her pouch, rummaging around for a few moments before pulling out a simple white cloth and her canteen of chilled water.

Wetting the cloth, Sakura slowly wiped away the blood and dirt -not to mention the saliva, the pink-haired kunoichi noticed with a disgusted shudder- around the three tomoe-like marks -one which was slightly lighter than the other two- and the puncture wounds.

Satisfied with her work, she removed the cloth, only to scowl in annoyance as the deep purple slime continued to ooze out of the wounds, albeit much more slowly than before.

Unexpectedly, her thoughts slowly wandered to her days in the Academy, back when they were nothing by naive little students' just learning first aid. One day in particular stood out, Iruka-sensei had been teaching them how to handle snake bites, and one of the best, albeit more dangerous ways was to actually suck out the poison.

Breaking out of her reverie, Sakura looked at the grimacing and pale face of her one and only crush, any and all thoughts of hesitation vanishing with the wind. She was the only one that could help him, and come hell or high water, she was going to do anything in her power to do so.

She slowly lowered her head, her cold breath tickling the fine hairs on Sasuke's neck. Tightening her resolve and swallowing the lump in her throat, Sakura planted her lips around the bite and the three comma-like marks.

The next few moments passed in complete silence, nothing but the eerie wind through the trees and the soulless song of birds in the air were heard in the forest as Sakura slowly but surely sucked out the poison-like substance.

Suddenly, a wet, hacking cough broke through the atmosphere a moment later as Sakura sprang up, one hand at her throat while the other stayed beneath her, propping her up.

Finally getting her coughing under control, the dazed kunoichi turned to her left before spitting out a small mouthful of the tainted venom, her face twisting into an expression of utter disgust. Taking a sip from her canteen, Sakura tried to rinse the bitter taste from her mouth, but try as she might, it just wouldn't go away.

But at least Sasuke-kun seemed to be looking better, if only slightly. A small amount of color had returned to his ashen white face, and he had even stopped sweating as much as before. Now, if only she could somehow stop the constant grimaces of pain flashing across his face, but without any supplies, there was only so much one genin could do.

Resigning over to fate, Sakura kneeled closer towards his neck to see if her rudimentary treatment had any effect. She was relieved to find that the bite marks had stopped oozing out the dark lavender substance. Hell, one of the marks –the one closet to his jaw line- seemed to have even faded slightly.

Sighing in relief, the pink-haired kunoichi bowed her head, the trials of the day, the encounter with the infamous missing ninja Orochimaru, and now the problem with Sasuke-kun having all but drained her of strength. All she wanted to do was lie down on the soft, mossy ground and fall asleep, a place where all the troubles of the world would melt away, at least for a few hours.

But before she could even contemplate giving into sleep's feathery grasp, a short but sharp tremor of pain shot through her chest, bringing forth a fitful of hacking coughs and a light, unnoticed spray of blood. The next second it disappeared, leaving her gasping for air along with a painfully tight chest.

It took her a while, but she was soon able to catch her breath although the small, numbing feeling in her chest simply wouldn't leave. Idly making sure that no one was around, she slowly pulled down the collar of her shirt and quickly glanced at the skin. Who knows, maybe she may have been injured during their run away from the notorious Snake Sannin.

The kunoichi of Team 7 let her shoulders shag in relief as she saw clean, unblemished skin. Thank Kami, she couldn't afford to be injured while Sasuke-kun needed her help.

Unbeknownst to her, a small, nearly indiscernible curved line faded into view slightly below her collar bone just as she pulled her collar back up. It seemed to pulse a sickly purple color for a few moments before returning to a generic black, nearly invisible against even her pale complexion.

A deep, calming breath left her a moment later as Sakura readied herself to spend the rest of the night awake. It would be a good idea to set up some traps while she was at it to ward of any teams that may find them. After all, while they hadn't run into any teams in the past several hours, it was only a matter of time before they did.

"Don't worry Sasuke-kun, I'll protect you." Sakura whispered gently, wetting the cloth once again and placing it onto the boy's burning forehead. Looking up through the canopy, emerald green orbs stared as the last vestiges of sunlight slowly began to vanish, her thoughts drifting towards their final teammate, _'Please Naruto, come back soon…'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Well, there's the target Orochimaru-sama wanted us to kill, but why are there only two of them? Aren't all genin team's supposed to be made up of three genin and a jounin sensei?"

"It doesn't matter, it only makes our job that much easier." Not that it mattered, leaf scum were leaf scum no matter the number.

"Alright, get ready Kin, Zaku, we attack at daybreak. And remember, Orochimaru-sama does _not_ accept failure, no matter the cause, so make sure you don't fuck up." Dosu's single visible eye glinted dangerously, the underlying warning perfectly clear to his two teammates.

With one final glance towards the comatose Sasuke and the vigilant Sakura, the three Oto genin slinked away in the darkness, preparing to fulfill their master's orders no matter the cost or obstacle.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Well damn, even after all the stuff I've been through, I never thought I'd be swallowed by a snake of all things…" The blonde jinchuuriki muttered darkly, instinctively cupping his hands around his sensitive nose in a vain attempt to block out the nauseating smell.

On the brighter side of things, at least his back had stopped hurting. Now, if he could only find a way out of here, he would be set. Then again, he couldn't get free just by standing around.

Finishing his thought, a kunai quietly slipped into the blonde jinchuuriki's palm from his pouch before he tried to cut through the touch, muscular inside of the gigantic snake only to be met with failure. Try as he might, the kunai merely pushed against the insides like a stretching rubber balloon, only to bounce back once the strain became too high.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, a humorously thoughtful expression on his face, the kunai forgotten in his palm, _'Wait… It's almost _exactly_ like a rubber balloon.' _

A wicked and utterly fox-like smirk formed on the sapphire-eyed genin's visage as an idea slowly but surely formed in his mind, but before he could put it to practice, a dull, but gradually growing sensation of pain pulled him from his nefarious scheming along with causing him to drop his kunai.

Looking down at his right hand, Naruto's orbs widened slightly as a small patch of skin literally melted off of it, revealing a slightly transparent pink film and a steady flow of blood, what it was, he had no idea.

Blue eyes watched on as a trail of crimson liquid trailed down his hand, collecting at the base of his wrist before succumbing to the forces of gravity and falling onto the slimy surface of the snake's stomach with a distinct 'plop' sound.

The drop of scarlet blood seemed to disappear into the rippling surface, and all at once, the walls started to spew forth a dark, yellowish liquid. The boy watching on in horror as the yellowish fluid met his dropped kunai with a loud hiss, the thick, durable metal being dissolved within seconds after contact.

'_That's it; I'm getting the hell out of here…' _A few moments later, and the yellow liquid was upon his relatively new shoes.

With the image of the melting kunai still disturbingly fresh in his mind, Naruto made a single cross-shaped seal before smirking victoriously, "I'll show you why nobody makes a meal out of Uzumaki Naruto you damn wallet; **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)**!"

Hundreds of clones instantly exploded into existence. Some met their end only seconds later, the vicious acid quickly eating through their fragile chakra constructed skin in a gruesome display of gore, and yet they kept on coming, like an endless horde of unstoppable juggernauts.

And although the snake may have been quite stretchable -especially considering its size compared to its normal counterpart- there were only so many angry blondes a single stomach could take.

With an explosion of blood, gore, and muscle fibres, the summoned snake exploded into countless pieces, never to return to the land of the summons. Naruto walked out of the gore not a moment later, shaking his head in disgust as all of his clones vanished in a puff of chakra-laden smoke, their job done.

"Ugh, that was freaking _disgusting_." The slime-covered blonde muttered. Shaking off at least some of the stomach acids and muscle tissue, Naruto went over what he needed to do. Well, the most important thing was locating his teammates; who knows what could have happened after he had been blown away by that powerful fuuton jutsu. Secondly, he needed to find whoever had blasted him with that jutsu and introduce the bastard to Kakashi's One Thousand Years of Pain.

Naturally deciding to do just that, the blue-eyed runt jumped into the tree tops, crouching on the sturdy branch as chakra enhanced muscles coiled in anticipation merely to stop mid-jump when a distant yet ear splitting scream echoed through the Forest of Death

Pausing on the branch he had just landed on, Naruto strained his sensitive ears, an uncharacteristically serious frown marring his features as the last of the echoes faded away. He didn't know why, but a gut wrenching feeling that had nothing to do with the fox told him that either Sasuke or Sakura had been responsible for that feeling, and his instincts tended to be right more times than not.

A second later, another eerie scream slightly quieter than the one before tore through his ears before fading into the distance and the blonde jumped into action, his newfound sense of unease fuelling his actions. The forest was all but a blur as he streaked through the tree tops, the last vestiges of sunlight disappearing over the horizon, only to be replaced by the pale, lilac-like glow of the reflective moon.

Surprisingly, images of a certain lavender-eyed princess invaded his mind, a small, whimsical smile of blissful happiness flashing across his whiskered cheeks. Whenever he thought about that girl, he couldn't help but _not _feel happy, but now that they were in this literal Forest of Death, that happiness was overshadowed by a near overwhelming feeling of concern, both for her well being and what she might have to do.

After all, while he knew damn well that Hinata could easily take care of herself, not to mention the fact that both Kiba and Shino would help her, if was hard not to worry about such a nice and kind hearted person.

Little did he know, the very girl of his thoughts was naught but a half an hour away, watching an event that would change the lives of all those involved.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hyuuga Hinata thought herself to be many things. She was a kunoichi of Konohagakure, she was the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan -but seeing as how things were going between her and her father, she wondered exactly how long that would last-, and after her last mission with Naruto-kun, she had thought that she was ready to deal with the death and destruction shinobi wrought on a daily basis.

Turns out she had been wrong…

That isn't to say she was against what they did, after all, in the world day lived it, it was all but a necessity, but to do it in such a cruel, inhumane manner simply wasn't…_human_.

And now, here she was, crouching behind a collection of undergrowth and bushes with her two teammates as they watched on in horror at the sight before them.

A single boy stood in the middle of the clearing with his two teammates behind him, one a boy, the other a girl. His scarlet red hair glinted in what was left of the sunlight, flashing like the very blood that littered the grounds, trees, and rocks. Not a single place was left untouched by the life giving liquid, the very shadows cowering from the genin's wrath.

And the cause of it all was that boy, if he could even be considered that after what she had seen.

A giant, sandy brown gourd hung on his back, but that wasn't the weird thing, it was what was inside that gourd that had left her speechless.

Sand, hundreds of pounds of sand that he could control at will. And if that wasn't weird enough, a quick peek with her Byakugan revealed something even more interesting. Undoubtedly, the sand had to be controlled by chakra, but what she had found was something else entirely. Each and every particle of sand within the gourd seemed to have been bathed in energy, but not the blue chakra of humans, a golden brown energy that seemed almost smoke like yet undeniably heavy at the same time.

Oh sure, it looked like chakra, acted like chakra, and even had that undeniable feel of pure energy that gave life to all living things, but unlike the natural if somewhat neutral feeling of human chakra, the energy within the gourd was almost chaotic, swirling this way and that, never remaining in one single place for too long.

It eerily reminded her of the desert during a sandstorm.

Even the color was different. Whereas all human's had the distinctive blue color which turned to green when using healing jutsu, the energy within the gourd was a sandy golden brown, a lighter shade of the sand he seemed to use.

The only other time she had seen a different color of chakra was when she had looked at Naruto-kun with her Byakugan, completely by accident of course. It wasn't as if she had been trying to look through his clothes or anything.

It had been a light, almost liquid red buzzing around like fireflies within his coils. And even then, it had been no more than small dots and flakes amongst the sea of sapphire blue that was the blonde's chakra circulatory system. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that her crush had more chakra than the Hokage.

Snapping out of her thoughts of her favourite blonde, Hinata returned her attention towards the clearing, carefully making sure that they remained unseen. Who knows what that boy would do if he found them. Hell, they wouldn't even have been here if Kiba hadn't insisted on getting rid of some teams before they headed towards the tower with their two scrolls.

Across the team from Suna stood a single from Rain genin, his pale expression twisted into one of horror as he watched his teammate implode above his head, bringing forth a new deluge of blood as the sand retreated back towards its owner.

He seemed to scamper back, only to trip on a dead branch and fall as the red haired Suna shinobi watched on with listless teal eyes. There was nothing in those jaded orbs; it didn't matter to him that he had just taken another life. In the end, all that mattered was that he was the one alive.

If she had thought his sand given abilities were terrifying, his lifeless sea foam orbs gave a whole new meaning to the word terror.

Hinata had never thought she would witness such lonely eyes again. Eyes that took everything in with a grain of sand before discarding it as either friend or foe, and then the foe simply vanished, erased from existence with the never ending sand.

She had only seen eyes like that once before, back when they had been nothing more than naive Academy students still learning how to hold a kunai. But instead of being an emotionless teal, they had been a deep, rich cobalt. Even then, the expression had vanished the next second, but it had still been engraved into her mind, never to be forgotten.

Back in the large glade, the lone Ame shinobi hesitantly reached into his clothes and pulled out a single, unidentifiable scroll before holding it towards the murderous genin, "H-Here, t-take it… Just please, l-let me go…" He quietly pleaded. It didn't matter that he would be kicked out of the exams, as long as he was _alive_, he could always take it again with a different team. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with such monsters.

Unheeding of his words, tendrils of sand slowly snaked their way across the blood drenched ground as they wrapped themselves around the petrified shinobi. Realizing that his end was near, the Ame genin took out a kunai and began hacking away at the wisps of ground rock in a last futile attempt.

It was over all too soon. The sand raised him into the air, controlled by an unseeing hand before engulfing him in its inescapable clutches.

Both the team from Konoha and his own teammates watched as the red haired boy raised a single hand, palm facing the floating mass of sand before he clenched his fist, "Be glad that your life was of some use, by ending your existence, my own existence only strengthens."

Following the motion, the sand coffin imploded inwards, bringing forth another rainstorm of blood as the body within burst open from the tremendous pressure.

Dropping the remains back to the ground, the sand slowly slithered back into the gourd, vanishing within its endless depths.

The sole girl of the Sand team walked forward, her gait a calm, unhurried walk of a shinobi hardened by countless battles as she slowly picked up the blood drenched scroll. A tanned hand rose, wiping away the dripping crimson liquid without so much as a grimace, "Feh, it's only a Heaven scroll. Come on Gaara, Kankuro; let's get to the tower already."

Adjusting the large battle fan on her back, Temari quickly walked back to her two teammates while pocketing the extra scroll before motioning towards Kankuro with a slight nod. The puppeteer nodded back, the both of them preparing to take off when a single word stopped them in their tracks, "Wait… I'm not done yet."

Startled, the Princess of Suna slowly turned around to face her jinchuuriki brother, her fear and nervousness hidden away with years of experience, "Come on Gaara, that's enough already. We already have both the scrolls, that's all we need."

Unmoving teal eyes stared back at her, not a hint of remorse within them as Gaara slowly raised a hand towards the undergrowth that hid Team 8, "If you two get in my way, I'll kill you both. Mother demands blood, and I will give it to her."

Temari slowly stepped back, her hands held in front of her in a placating gesture as she moved to stand beside Kankuro. There was no way they would be able to talk Gaara out of it now, not when his _Mother_ was involved, and it was all because of the damn blonde from a few days back.

Whenever Gaara got into one of his psychotic rampages, he would at least listen to her every now and then. Maybe it was because as much as he tried to deny it, they _were _family, or maybe it was just because she was more useful to him alive than dead.

Personally, she was more inclined to agree with the latter, but whatever the reason may be, he would listen to her. Kankuro, on the other hand, not so much.

But that all changed whenever the bastard Ichibi no Shukaku got riled up. There was no stopping him then, Gaara would continue to kill until the bloody demon's thirst was sated and boy did the bijuu seem thirsty.

It had been like this ever since they had met the blonde boy named Uzumaki Naruto a few days ago. There was something about him, something not _natural_ that had set her brother, and by proxy, the demon off.

She didn't know what it was about the blonde haired brat that just raised Gaara's shackles, but it felt dark and ancient, almost demonic for a lack of better words. She had felt it the moment she had laid eyes on the genin and it utterly terrified her.

Gaara had never reacted that way before to a mere _genin_, hell, even the odd jounin they had encountered on their missions usually failed to get such a response from the red head, and here he was, barely keeping the demon at bay from slaughtering them all like defenceless Academy students because of a genin.

And now she had to watch as another group of genin were crushed, their lives extinguished by a boy that barely held back a demon because their father thought it would be a good idea to create a super weapon out of his youngest child. It was on days like these that she truly loathed their father, the Yondaime Kazekage.

Ever so slowly, sand trickled out of the gourd on his back before it shot off into the distance. It struck the collection of undergrowth and trees to their right, completely annihilating the foliage as three blurs shot out.

The three shadows landed a moment later, revealing a team of Konoha genin and a white, shivering dog of all things.

Gaara looked at the three of them before settling his demented gaze on the one furthest to the right, a shaggy looking genin with two, upside down triangles on each cheek and a cowering white dog in his jacket.

His demented gaze morphed into a psychotic grin as sand burst forward with naught but a mental command, a tidal wave of the deserts fury as Gaara tried to sweep up the wolfish genin.

Kiba staggered back before jumping to the side as the tidal wave hit. Landing on all fours, he flashed his teeth in rage at the unmoving genin before him. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, to forget about the exam and run like his life depended on it, but he couldn't, he _wouldn't_, his pride wouldn't let him.

Besides, he doubted they would get far, even if they did try escaping. It was better to fight now and possibly get away instead of trying to run with their tails between their legs and end up getting killed anyways.

Another tendril of sand shot towards him, weaving this way and that as the Inuzuka frantically dodged its clutches. Chakra surged through his hands and legs, further increasing his speed as his nails grew into taut claws pulsing with energy.

Leaping outside the range of the tendrils, Kiba exploded forward, his newfound speed barely keeping him ahead of the sand as he reached the motionless teal-eyed boy in the blink of an eye.

A wall of solid sand rose up to intercept his mad dash, but Kiba's form blurred before appearing at the sand wielding shinobi's back, claws raised and ready to drive themselves through soft skin and muscle alike. But just like before, another wall rose, blocking his assault.

Nevertheless, Kiba continued to attack, blow after blow rained down onto the shield of sand, unrestrained animalistic fury driving his clawed strikes as he tried to rend open a hole in the seemingly indestructible defence and throttle the psychotic jinchuuriki.

The sand thrashed around, trying to pry the savage genin off but Kiba's highly honed reflexes always kept him one step ahead. He struck again, but even his powerful claws left only the smallest of scratches in the chakra-laden sand.

Damn it, it was like hitting a wall of solid steel. His claws, even after being enhanced by chakra were beginning to split apart and shatter, revealing raw, pink skin underneath as small rivulets of scarlet blood ran down his fingers.

A wave of sand suddenly flew underneath the bestial genin's foot and he cursed as he fell. Gaara grinned psychotically; eyes alight with glee as a spear of sand formed above his outstretched hand before blurring towards the downed Inuzuka.

Kiba closed his eyes and grit his teeth in anger, raising his arms in a futile attempt to block the sand approaching. So this was it huh? This was where he died? He had always thought he would die in a blaze of glory, the bodies of his enemies littering the battle field around him, but to die in a _forest _of all things!? He wasn't even a chuunin yet for Kami's sake!

But as the seconds ticked by and the expected pain still didn't come, Kiba hesitantly cracked open a single hazel orb only to blink in unabashed astonishment as a sudden cloud of inky black invaded his vision. The mass of black seemed to float in midair, a slight, incessant buzzing coming from deep within its depths before it exploded outwards, throwing him out of harm's way and pushing the unrelenting sand back.

Rolling to a stop, Kiba quickly got to his knees as a dark, looming shadow fell over him. He looked up above himself with squinted eyes to see the form of Shino standing above him, hands stuffed in his drug dealer like coat pockets and a cloud of rabid kikai swarming around him.

Despite their situation, Kiba grinned. It seemed like Shino wanted to have a go at the psychotic sand- wielding genin, and boy did he look angry. Maybe he was still pissed off about not being able to go on their mission to the mercenary camp, but then again, it was Shino. Even after all the time he had spent with the guy, he could still never tell what was going through the bug user's head.

Curiously, Hinata never seemed to have that problem. She always seemed to know exactly how Shino was feeling despite the stoic mask he always wore. Hell, the Aburame was worse than Sasuke, at least the broody bastard showed _some _emotions once in a while. Then again, he doubted that arrogance and a superiority complex could be classified as emotions.

Undaunted by the killing intent floating through the air, Shino stepped forward, his stance an eerie copy of the emerald-eyed genin's, hands by his side and a calm, collected gaze settled on the opponent.

Then it happened, the bug using genin's incandescent glasses flashed in the moonlight, nothing more than a small flicker reflecting off of their lens before a tidal wave of bugs' flew out from underneath his coat.

The innumerable number of kikai bugs cut through the air like a group of hungry vultures and met the deluge of sand head on. Hundreds were slaughtered instantly, the tiny grain-like particles of earth either splitting their small bodies in half, or entire streams crushing them underneath their weight.

But just like the sand, they kept on coming. Those that survived the initial contact latched onto the sand, leeching the very energy from the particles of earth and rock.

Shino watched on his safe vantage point, a small frown marring his features behind his upturned collar. Even though they were not a part of him anymore, he still had at least a small connection with each and every single one of his bugs out there, and while it didn't allow them to actually communicate in any useful way, he could at least use the ethereal link of sorts to organize attack and defence strategies by sending small impulses -almost like emotions in a strange, bizarre sort of way- through it.

And while this mental link may have seemed like a boon to any outsider, it was actually one of the more dangerous aspects of being a host to the most destructive species of insects in the known world.

Shino himself knew that better than anyone else within his age group, because while they may be able to send impulses through the link, the insects themselves could send their own impulses and emotions back to them.

That was the one and only reason why younger Aburame didn't receive more than one colony of insects at a time, usually no more than a few hundred bugs of one single species. Who's to say that just because they could control the bugs through the link, the bugs couldn't control them?

Unknown to all but a few, the Hokage included, the relationship they shared with their bugs wasn't one of camaraderie or friendship; it was one of necessity. They would provide a home and sustenance in the form of chakra for the insects, and in return, the destruction bugs would aid them in battle.

Bu if an Aburame _ever_ got caught off guard, the kikai would immediately try to seize control over the body and in the end; it all became a battle of will. Right now, he was _willing_ his insects to fight and die for him, and they had no choice but to obey, but if he ever got caught off guard, they would turn on him in an instant.

There was a reason younger Aburame received only one colony until they became chuunin. Even though they may be infinitesimally small, there is _always_ strength in number. Each and every Aburame knew that even a single bug could be the difference between life and death.

It seemed that fate truly had a twisted sense of irony. In giving all Aburame a source of protection, it had also given them a great burden, one that could turn on them in an instant.

Then again, the link _did_ have its uses, such as the ability to know, at least vaguely, what his bugs were going through.

And what he was receiving from them was most troubling indeed.

The chakra that his kikai were absorbing was…different, for a lack of better word, almost _unnatural_ in a strange, foreboding way. It felt restless, like a desert during a windstorm, always churning, growing, and shrinking, never the same for more than a split second.

If he didn't know any better, he would say that it wasn't even human, but then if it wasn't of earthly origin, then what could it be? Logically, he knew there were things out there that they couldn't even begin to fathom, but despite the red haired boy's monstrous abilities, such abilities were not unheard of when ninja were concerned.

No, it wasn't the ability itself that made him think otherwise, but the type of chakra fuelling said ability.

Usually, a few hundred of his destruction bugs could suck any normal civilian dry of every last bit of chakra. Granted, the more chakra a person had, the more insects would be needed but even a genin wouldn't need more than a thousand at most, and even _that_ was going a bit overboard.

The chakra his insects got from the sand however -if it could even be considered that- felt almost heavy, more potent than normal, sluggish if you will. Not only was it heavier, it also felt denser, unlike the slow and steady liquid-like flow of human chakra.

So not only did it require more energy to leech the chakra out of the sand because of its bizarre nature, but it also filled up his bugs at an astronomically faster rate than he had ever seen before. With the way things were going, his destruction bugs would simply refuse to listen to him because they did not need any more sustenance, having received all they could ever want from the sea foam-eyed shinobi.

A slight tremor quaked through the ground and Shino smirked, but even that small emotion was gone the next second as the Aburame raised his arms towards the crazed genin. It was almost time, he just needed a few more pieces of information, and he knew just how to get them.

A black, inky mass oozed out of each sleeve, floating above his outstretched fists before one shot towards the sand wielding Suna nin and the other flew past him, only to swerve around and attack his unprotected back.

Just like before, two walls of impenetrable sand rose from the sand on the ground, blocking both of the assaults and destroying the bugs, but they had served their purpose.

While to anyone watching from the outside, the shield of sand looked like the perfect ability, extremely fast, impenetrable, and able to be used as both a defence and an attack, it seemed as if it truly was unbeatable. Too bad for his opponent he had just discovered two major flaws.

One, it was completely instinctive, or rather, that was the conclusion he had reached after his little stunt. Otherwise how would Gaara have known to raise a shield behind him? It wasn't as if the red head had eyes on the back of his head, at least he _hoped _he didn't.

Two, there was only a limited amount of sand, and he was guessing that the Suna shinobi only had as much as he carried around in that giant gourd of his. If not, why would he go through all the trouble of carrying around all that weight if he could simply use the sand that existed within the ground?

And he knew just how to exploit those two weaknesses. Besides, he needed to end this quickly, he had lost a lot more kikai then he thought he would, and while there was no love lost between an Aburame and his insects, he would undoubtedly need them further on in the exam.

With one final push, the last of the destructions bugs flew forth from his body before lashing out towards Gaara. They seemed to create a sphere around him, directed by Shino's will alone before they converged inwards, cutting through the air like lightning.

Instinctively, the sand shot outwards; blasting away the bugs and Shino smirked, that was exactly what he had been waiting for. Now there was no sand surrounding him.

Shino whipped his arm up, putting his entire body behind the motion, and following the unseen command, the ground underneath Gaara exploded upwards as destruction bugs swarmed the surprised jinchuuriki.

The sand tried to rush back to its master to protect it, but it was too late. The insects dove inwards as Gaara began to wildly flail his arms in a futile attempt to drive them off, clinging to his hands, face, and clothing.

Emerald eyes widened with desperation as he felt his chakra slowly begin to slip away from his grasp. Even though the sand was back by his side, it could not attack the bugs without inadvertently hurting him and it would not do that no matter the cause. Even now, he could hear the Konoha genin's voice past the obscuring veil of bugs, "This is your last chance, either forfeit your scroll or your life." Even though they had both the scrolls, it would only prove advantageous to set the Suna team back.

Temari and Kankuro watched on in shocked silence, unheeding of the bug wielding boy's words as their seemingly unstoppable brother was brought to his knees by a Konoha genin. It was almost surreal in a sense. Gaara had always been the unstoppable monster, the force of nature that bowed to no earthly force, and here he was, flailing in desperation as the last of his chakra was sucked dry.

Off to the side on the other side of the clearing, Kiba had joined them in their awed wonder. He had always known Shino was strong, but this was just _insane_! Here was a genin that he couldn't even touch and Shino was about to utterly destroy him. For once in his life he had never felt so far behind.

First, he had realized, and quite painfully at that, that Naruto wasn't what he used to be in the Academy. He doubted he could beat the blonde haired prankster if they ever fought. And now, there was Shino. He had always thought himself to be the top dog of his team, but it was quite clear that if he and Shino ever truly fought beyond their small spars during team training, the bug boy would mop the floor with him.

Looking towards his side, he saw Hinata watching the fight with concerned lilac eyes, her Byakugan active if the pronounced veins jutting against her temples were anything to go by, "Don't look so worried Hinata, Shino's gonna win this. I mean just look at him, he just owned the sand guy and there's not a scratch on him."

Hinata's head whipped to the side at hear feral teammate's words, for a second there, she had completely forgotten that there was someone else with her, being so engrossed in the fight.

"I-I don't think s-so Kiba-k-kun…" The Hyuuga heiress whispered gently, "T-There seems to b-be s-something covering h-his body… I-It looks l-like sand." Blinking wolfishly at his teammates words, Kiba simply shrugged slightly before turning to look at the scene with a grin.

"I don't know about that Hinata, but I doubt it will help him now anyways." Giving her one more confident look, he flashed her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Shino's got this." And with that, he returned his attention to the fight.

Hinata meanwhile continued to stare at the frantic Gaara, at the slowly growing orb of golden yellow chakra twisting inside the genin's core like a restless demon just waiting to be unleashed. It was just like the chakra swirling around in the sand, chaotic and edgy as it continued to grow bit by bit.

But then she looked back towards her teammate, standing there against that monster of a genin and she couldn't completely crush the small pang of sadness that welled up within her chest.

Both Kiba and Shino had fought him, both of them had risked their very lives so they could have a chance to get away, and what had she done? Absolutely nothing. Even now, all she could do was stand there like a damsel in distress, not knowing what to do or even if she should go and help her teammate.

All at once, the insecurities and fears that she had thought she had conquered after her mission with Naruto-kun began to resurface. Her father had been right, she truly was useless; she would only drag her teammates down and get them hurt. She had frozen up during her mission with Naruto-kun, and she was freezing up now, even after all the training she had done to make sure she didn't.

Hinata lowered her head as she felt the hot, saline tears of bitter defeat trail down her cheeks. What was she even _doing_ here!? She had been of no help to any of her teammates, and they would have been better off by themselves since they wouldn't have to protect her at every turn.

She was sure that even Naruto-kun, the kindest boy she knew would be ashamed of her and her weakness. After all, how could he like someone that was as pathetic and pitiable as her when he could go after someone as strong and as smart as Sakura? Hell, he probably only talked to her because he was too kind to turn her away.

But just as she was about to give into the feelings of uselessness and grief, all of her thoughts vanished with the wind as an inhumane roar tore through the clearing. It took Hinata a moment to find the source, but the Hyuuga heiress soon realized that it had been none other than the Suna shinobi, Gaara.

The ground around him seemed to roll and crumble away before a literal wave of golden chakra washed over them, blinding her all seeing eyes with the sheer amount of energy. It felt like looking directly into the sun to her sensitive vision.

Even after the blinding, unearthly light had disappeared, her enhanced eyes still throbbed with a constant, dull, ache. Since the three hundred and fifty-nine degree vision wasn't really helping her headache, Hinata quickly shut off her bloodline limit before quickly glancing around the clearing, but what she saw only confirmed the almost irrational fear she had of the red haired genin.

The entire clearing was gone, no, not destroyed, simply _gone_. The grass, the trees, the rocks, even the soft, mossy earth beneath their feet had vanished. What was left was an endless desert of sand all around them, extending for dozens of meters in every direction. She didn't need to look to know that Gaara had been responsible for that.

From what little she had seen just before the wave had hit her, most of it had been concentrated towards Shino. She just prayed that he was okay, but that didn't stop the small feeling of dread slowly building inside of her.

It took her a few moments, but she quickly located her bug using teammate lying on the ground a few feet from where he had been standing. The lavender-eyed kunoichi quickly jogged towards him, her previous thoughts long forgotten.

He looked relatively unhurt, but he _had_ been hit by a wave of chakra and she knew just how damaging they could be, "S-Shino-kun, a-are y-you hurt?" Hinata muttered, kneeling beside the downed boy before quickly helping him up.

Shino accepted her help as he got to his knees. Shaking his head slightly to clear the small throbbing, he looked towards his left as he heard Kiba quickly jog up to them, "I appear to be fine Hinata, but my colony has been almost completely obliterated." They didn't need to know that he really didn't care one way or another, but that small fact would affect any further tests they might have, "Are you and Kiba harmed in any way?"

Kiba slowly kneeled beside them, his feral features still prominent from the chakra surging through his coils, "No, I think we're okay. But I don't think we should be worrying about that when we have that psycho after us."

Shino looked up to where Gaara was still standing there in front of them, chest heaving with some unknown effort and surrounded by a veritable sand storm. He didn't need to be a genius to know that the red haired genin had been responsible for that unbelievable wave of chakra, and let's not forget the desert of sand surrounding them. To think that even after all the chakra his kikai had drained from him, Gaara still had enough energy to create a desert from nothing. A monster indeed…

But it wasn't what he had done that truly frightened Shino, not even close. Their Nidaime Hokage could create water from nothing, so the ability wasn't all that special -although it was disconcerting to think of a genin having the abilities of a Hokage-. What terrified him was the aura surrounding the genin.

His entire countenance had changed after that 'little' display of power. Whereas before the turquoise-eyed boy had simply seemed to be slightly unstable, he now freely radiated killing intent and fear, unchained of any thoughts of constraint and control. It was like being in the presence of a demon, the utter loathing of life nearly palpable in the very air itself. Never before had he seen a creature radiate such hatred, such contempt for another being.

Then it happened. More quickly than he could follow, a tendril of sand whipped towards them, faster than ever before. Without thinking, Shino pushed Hinata aside as Kiba jumped back just as the wisp struck him across the chest.

Shino flew back, a slight grimace of pain flashing across his visage as his ribs creaked in protest. Hitting the mossy earth, he quickly latched onto the ground with what little chakra he had left. A mere second later and he had to jump up as more sand lashed out towards him. He had taken a gamble, albeit a logical one by using all his kikai and now he was paying for it.

Gaara grinned with absolute glee, licking his lips in anticipation for the upcoming blood bath as the earlier expression of a calmed shinobi dropped like a cheap henge. He would make it rain blood for his mother, the skies will cry tears of red as he tore the one who dared to touch him to shreds.

Raising his hands into a seal, chakra surged through Gaara's coils before disappearing into the sand on the ground. Pulses of sand, hundreds of them rose like coiling snakes through the air and towards the free falling bug user.

Shino cursed as they latched onto his ankles even as the remaining destruction bugs valiantly tried to rip out the energy. Swinging him around once, then twice, the unrelenting sand let go and the bug user flew through the air.

A gasp of pain left his mouth a moment later as he struck a tree head on, the sweet embrace of unconsciousness quickly taking over his hazy mind. With the last of his strength, the bespectacled genin looked towards his bestial teammate, willing for him to take Hinata and run away.

Luckily, Kiba seemed to understand as he glanced towards him, understanding flashing within his slit eyes before he nodded slightly. They had both agreed that Hinata would take precedence over everything, the mission, the goal, even their lives. They would do anything to protect her, even if it meant leaving each other behind.

And with that, Shino collapsed, the last of his strength draining away from his bruised and battered body. At least there were barely any kikai left in his body, thank Kami for small miracles in this forsaken world.

Kiba looked on towards his friend and teammate as he collapsed, his facial muscles twitching almost violently as he squeezed his teeth shut, choking off the inhuman growl threatening to rise out of his throat, "Come on Hinata, we have to get out of here before he remembers about us."

Hinata stared at him with disbelieving eyes, her unblemished, porcelain features growing even paler at the thought of leaving her teammate and friend, one of her precious people behind, "B-But we h-have to h-help Shino-k-kun… We j-just can't l-leave him h-here."

"We can and we will! Now come on, he's didn't risk his life just so we could die anyways." Kiba ordered, only to wince as Hinata shrunk away. Softening his features as much as he could, the Inuzuka offered his hand towards the distraught kunoichi, "Shino will be okay Hinata, I mean, you saw how strong he is, he can take care of himself."

Nodding hesitantly, Hinata tentatively reached forward to take the offered hand when it suddenly halted midair. Unbidden, images of a grinned blonde genin flashed through the forefront of her mind, his hair like spun gold and azure eyes alight with the determination and will to never give up.

They said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, and she couldn't agree more. Those wondrous orbs shone with the Will of Fire Konoha was renowned for, the drive and determination to protect all that was precious to him no matter the cost.

She remembered his goals, his dream to protect his precious people by become Hokage even though the majority of the village hated him. Naruto-kun would never leave behind a precious person, even if it meant sacrificing his life because to him the lives of his precious people were on a pedestal even higher than his own, and neither would she.

How could she even think about leaving a teammate behind when the person whose recognition she wanted most never would? Come hell or high water, Naruto-kun would save his precious people, that she was sure of more than anything else in the world. Besides, Hinata knew that if she ever did in fact leave someone close to her behind, she wouldn't even deserve Naruto-kun's recognition.

"No…" Kiba snapped his head towards the resolute Hyuuga, not even trying to hide his disbelief and astonishment at the assertive tone in her voice. That was the first time he had _ever_ heard Hinata sound so self-confident, so forceful.

Slapping his hand away, Hinata rose to her feet, the veins around and on her temple pulsating spasmodically as chakra surged towards her eyes and Kiba shrunk back slightly at the frigid glare in her unseeing lavender orbs, "I-I will _not _l-leave a teammate behind Kiba-kun, e-even if it m-means risking my life. I k-know Shino-kun would never l-leave one of us, and I won't either."

The animalistic genin stared at his supposedly timid teammate for another moment, shock still prevalent on his visage before smiling wolfishly, a light, baritone chuckle reverberating through his chest. To think, an alpha male like him being reprimanded by possibly the shyest kunoichi in all of Konoha, the very thought was laughable.

Shaking his head once slightly in amusement, Kiba quickly glanced at the prone form of Gaara and his two teammates, then towards his own downed teammate before returning his attention to the glaring Hyuuga in front of him. Here he was, going against everything he had ever been taught by both his clan and by Konoha as a whole by running away from the people that needed him most, only to have Hyuuga Hinata of all people set him straight.

For an Inuzuka, the pack is everything, it must be protected and made stronger at all costs, and here he was, about to abandon a member of his pack at the slightest sign of danger. His ancestors would have been rolling in their graves, _'Hinata's right, an Inuzuka never leaves a member of his family behind, and I'm not about to start now.'_

Turning back towards the Sand shinobi, Kiba slid into his clan's taijutsu stance before looking towards the Hyuuga heiress out of the corner of his eyes, "Hinata, you go and see if you can wake Shino up while I distract that guy's sand." Startled out of her earlier confidence, Hinata nodded once slightly before rushing off towards the bug user.

A wisp of sand immediately launched itself after her, only to collapse a second later as Kiba's form blurred in front of it, claws shining with neon blue chakra and the slightest bits of sand.

Kiba smirked at the new turn of events. He could easily see the difference, the sand was slower than before, and not only that, it was even more malleable, not quite as sturdy as it had been. He hadn't even been able to leave a scratch in its surface the first time around, and now he could shear through the entire thing with a moderate amount of effort.

Maybe it was because the sand wasn't from the gourd so it might contain less chakra, or it might have been because of Shino's kikai assault from before, but hey, why look a gift horse in the mouth? With the way things were going, they just might get out of this alive.

Grinning once more, Kiba lowered himself on all fours as chakra surged through his arms and legs, preparing for the upcoming onslaught. Just as he was about to charge forward, a small whimper broke through him. Looking down into his jacket, he winced as he realized he had forgotten all about Akamaru.

The little pup was still scared senseless, his ears lying flat against his head and adorable round eyes clenched shut. Unbidden, a small growl tore through his throat at the sight of his lifelong companion. Even though Akamaru hadn't been hurt, he never liked to see his partner troubled in any way, it was his responsibility, his _duty _to make sure of that. That red head had to pay, end of story.

His mind made, Kiba surged forward, the sand beneath his sandaled feet flying up as he tore across the ground. A tendril of sand appeared at almost every step, attempting to ensnare the genin within its deadly clutches.

With all the grace of a cat, Kiba wove around the strands, coming within feet of the rigid Gaara as he danced past the enraged sand. Energy surged through his hand as he dove past the last vine of the immolated earth and slashed at the expected shield that spring up, but just like before, his harder than steel claws bounced off without a scratch.

Cursing, Kiba leapt back as more sand rose. It seemed that desert boy kept the sand from his gourd closer to him so his at least his shield would be dense enough to block all attacks. Great, not only did the unstable genin have power coming out the ass, he also had the brains to use that power.

Taking advantage of his small reprieve, the bestial Inuzuka quickly glanced towards his side, a small sigh of relief leaving his lips as he saw Shino slowly getting up with the help of Hinata. But even that small lapse of concentration cost him as sand swiftly smashed into his side.

Kiba screamed as the granulated earth dug through his clothing and into soft skin, tearing through the many layers of tissue and fat underneath like a hot kunai through flesh.

Cringing in pain, the Inuzuka quickly rolled away as another jet struck the ground, but he wasn't quick enough to get away as the remaining chakra-laden sand wrapped around his arm. A moment later and a gut wrenching scream tore through his very being as the sand imploded inwards, a shower of scarlet blood issuing outwards as bone, muscle, and flesh alike were torn asunder.

A frantic claw swipe cleaved through the sand as a panting Kiba jumped back, frigid drops of sweat like liquid ice trailing twin trails down his face from the unimaginable pain. Cradling what remained of his left hand, he jumped back towards his two horrified teammates before crashing to his knees, nearly delirious from the pain.

With a faltering voice, Hinata frantically called out her teammate's name, "K-Kiba-kun!" His entire face had turned an ashen pale, the pain and blood loss zapping all strength from his body. Even as she watched, his claws slowly retreated; the shaggy, ruffled hair returned to normal and even his now circular pupils had gained a glassy shine. Blood continued to trail down his arm in rivulets, forming a small puddle of dark crimson on the mossy ground below.

Hinata knew, not only from the various medical texts she had studied, but just by looking at his conditions that if Kiba didn't get medical aid soon, he would die, no ifs, ands, or, buts about it.

Unheeding of her near hysterical words, Kiba pitched forward and collapsed onto the sandy ground below him, steamy blood coloring the ground wine red from his destroyed hand. Akamaru jumped out form within his spot in the jacket, small, nearly unintelligible whimpers sounding through the air as he pitifully nudged his master's head.

As quickly as he could in his current state, Shino kneeled beside Kiba before gently lifting him up, one arm wrapped around the Inuzuka's waist while the other held him up, "Come on Hinata, we have to escape from this place as quickly as possible."

Hinata nodded in agreement, only to stop as her sixth sense, something that all shinobi possessed flew into overdrive. Whirling around, pale lavender orbs widened in surprise as they saw a veritable wave of sand rocketing towards them, each and every single abrasive grain gleaming like diamonds in the bright moonlight.

And so resigning herself to fate, Hinata closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable moment of blinding pain before the world ceased to exist. Shino was barely conscious and Kiba was dead to the world, they wouldn't be able to save her this time. Even if she tried to get out of the way, she was too slow; she didn't even have enough time to attempt a **Kaiten (Divination Whirl)**.

She just wished she could see Naruto-kun one last time, to see his radiant smile, his warm, joyful eyes as she held him in her arms and poured her heart out.

But she knew she wouldn't, in the life of a ninja you didn't get second chances. If one made a mistake in life, they would have to bear with it and only hope to make it right in the future. Too bad for her, her future was going to end here. There would be no one to save her, and she would die a lonely fool, hated by her clan, and too weak to even tell the boy of her dreams how she truly felt about him.

"**Fuuton: ****Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)**!"

Wind met sand as the world blew over, the two forces of nature battling for dominance before the sand exploded backwards, overtaken by the victorious wind.

Hinata slowly cracked open her pale violet eyes as a tempestuous gust of wind blew over her, ruffling her clothing and sending her glossy hair whipping back. Blinking softly against the raging winds, a soft gasp of surprise left her parted lips as she gazed at the black-clad figure standing in front of her, hands in a seal and hair like spun gold dancing in the tumultuous wind.

Only one thought crossed the tearful Hyuuga's mind, _'Naruto-kun…' _Naruto-kun had come for them, even if unintentionally. The terror she had felt earlier for both her teammates and her own life all but vanished as relief washed over her mind like a raging tsunami. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would protect them; he would let _nothing _harm them.

But then she remembered his opponent. Hinata would be the first to admit that Naruto-kun was strong, stronger than she could ever hope to be, but after she had seen the destruction Gaara could wrought with his sand… Well, saying she was worried would be an understatement.

She had to warn him, she had to tell him about the Suna shinobi's abilities, "A-Ano N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said urgently, causing the blonde jinchuuriki to slightly turn his head towards her, "T-That boy u-uses sand to a-attack and d-defend."

Naruto smiled warmly as he heard the thinly veiled concern in Hinata's voice, it felt nice to have someone worry about him. Hell, even _he_ was scared shitless of fighting Gaara but he couldn't show it, not in front of Hinata when she looked so hopeful, so relieved to see him. Hmm, now that was food for thought.

"Don't worry Hinata, I got this guy." Naruto said with a foxy grin before he looked towards Shino and the unconscious Kiba, his cheerful expression quickly morphing into one of concern, "Hey Shino, how is he?" Even from here, he could see the droplets of blood collecting on the ground below them in a congealing puddle of liquid and sand, but the hand itself was hidden by the sleeve of Kiba's coat so he couldn't really tell how bad it was.

Shino lifted the sleeve up without a word in response and Naruto winced. Sure, he had seen worse before, but that didn't mean he would ever get used to it. The dog boy's entire hand was shredded; just bits and flaps of skin hung off revealing bleeding muscle and fractured bone glistening like ivory underneath.

Shino spoke up in his usual monotonous drawl as Naruto continued to observe the injury, "Do be careful Naruto; he also seems to have an automatic defence of sorts that uses sand, nearly all physical attacks employed by Kiba and myself were rendered useless."

Nodding tightly, the last Uzumaki returned his attention towards the three Sand shinobi. If what Hinata and Shino had said was true, then there was no way in hell he was going to beat this guy, not with almost all of his attacks rendered useless. Taijutsu was out because of the shield, he didn't know a lick of genjutsu, and the elemental ninjutsu he had tried was his strongest one and even _that_ had barely pushed the sand back.

Then again, he could always try using his quasi-bloodline limit, but he hadn't really practiced it all that much. Plus he wasn't too keen on showing all of his tricks in front of people he might have to fight later on. Even if they were Konoha nin like him, this _was_ an exam and if they did meet on the battle field, he sure as hell doubted the other side would care.

Great, so that was out too. That only left one option; he had to lead them away from Hinata and her team. Making up his mind, Naruto spoke without turning his head while keeping his voice low so the other team couldn't hear him, "Shino, I want you and Hinata to get Kiba to the tower while I lead these guys away, okay?"

While the bug using genin nodded without hesitation, Hinata stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes, "B-But N-Naruto-kun, we c-can't leave you h-here alone!" The Hyuuga heiress exclaimed. It would be a cold day in hell before she left Naruto-kun to fight such a monster by himself.

Unconsciously, a slight sigh of frustration left the jinchuuriki. Not that he was mad at Hinata for caring for him, quite the opposite in fact but Gaara wouldn't wait for them forever. Sooner or later, he was going to attack and he wanted to be as far away from her as possible when it happened, "Listen Hinata, don't do it for me, do it for Kiba. Just look at him, he needs help and you can only get that at the tower."

Hinata flinched as if struck as she remembered her teammate's condition. How could she have ever forgotten about him? Besides, she was sure Naruto-kun could take care of himself; the important thing was getting Kiba some medical aid.

Sighing in agreement, Hinata slowly got up and hesitantly walked towards the patiently waiting Shino before turning back around, amethyst eyes filled with unabashed worry and another completely unidentifiable emotion, "P-Please Naruto-kun, b-be c-careful…" The worried kunoichi whispered quietly. And with that they leapt away, jumping through the tree tops as they sped towards the tower.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan, I will…" The softly whispered promise slowly disappeared with the wind as Naruto hung his head in quiet thought.

Letting out a low breath at the unbelievably warm feeling spreading through his chest, Naruto tentatively let it vanish as he refocused his attention on the trio before him. Feelings like that would only distract him, or at least, that's what Jiraiya-sensei had told him. Personally, he thought it was nothing but a bunch of bull.

Meanwhile, Temari was staring at the retreating backs of the three Konoha genin they had -or rather, _Gaara_ had- been fighting, "Hey Gaara, are we just going to let them go?" While the Rose of Suna was grateful there would be no more unnecessary bloodshed today, she would much rather have her brother fight them than the blonde. Something about him just seemed to irk her jinchuuriki sibling.

"They do not matter when the real prey is right in front of us." Gaara muttered in reply, turning his head to look at her. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but just for a moment, the light of the full moon seemed to bathe Gaara's body within its eternal depths as his normally aquamarine eyes morphed into desert yellow, a four pointed star for a pupil only to vanish the next second.

But that second had been more than enough for Temari. She had seen eyes like that only once before in Suna, when her brother had been knocked unconscious by a would-be assassin. The terror she had felt on that day would never be topped, of that she was sure of. On the brighter side of things, the resulting damage had put an end to any and all assassination attempts.

However, now she knew for certain, Shukaku was lurking just below the surface, waiting for his chance at freedom that had been denied to him for so long. Temari just hoped Gaara was strong enough to resist.

Returning her attention to the matter at hand, Temari watched with bated breath as the blonde in front of them fell into a stance, legs bent at the knees, arms held in front of his body, and hands tightened into fists, _'A great load of good that'll do for him.' _Temari thought cynically. Not soon after was the air saturated with killing intent, the sand beneath their feet rumbling in response to Gaara's morbid thoughts.

"Uzumaki Naruto, mother wants you blood, and I will prove my existence by giving it to her." Gaara muttered, his face twisting into a deranged grin as Naruto tensed. Never before had mother screamed with such fury, such intensity as she did now. Even now, her ear-piercing screams tore through his mind, hot knives of palpable hatred ramming into the back of his head shouting for the blonde's very essence to bathe his sand.

"Well then, why don't you come and get it?" Naruto shot back, only to laugh uneasily as the Suna shinobi grinned wickedly. Antagonising a murderous genin after your blood probably wasn't that good of an idea, but since the creepy eyed bastard already seemed to be after his head, he might as well get his shots in now.

The granulated earth convulsed violently once more as the Ichibi container regarded the blonde in front of him with vicious anticipation, the sand rising like a coiling serpent taunting its prey before it sprang forward.

Naruto shifted to the side and pulled out a kunai as the sand whipped past his face. Throwing the knife, the blonde watched in near morbid awe as the tell-tale shield rose, grabbing the thrown weapon and returning it twice as fast.

Sand and dirt erupted into the air as the kunai hit the ground with earth shattering force where the blonde jinchuuriki had been moments before. Lazily looking up, sea foam green eyes watched with detached interest at the blonde floating nearly thirty feet above them.

Landing in a crouch, cool cobalt chakra swirled through his coils as Naruto flew across the sand. An endless army of bloodthirsty hands continued to reach up from the ground, grasping like a sea of long forgotten ghosts as they tried to latch onto his erratically zigzagging form.

Stopping on a dime in front of the motionless genin, Naruto leapt through the air, merely to stop as a tendril of sand wrapped around his leg. Thinking quickly, the blonde twisted himself midair, lashing out with a kick while pushing chakra into the soles of his feet.

A small, chakra enhanced blade shot out instantly, cleaving through the sand and releasing the jinchuuriki of Konoha.

Landing on all fours, Naruto pivoted on his palms and lashed out with a leg sweep, hoping that he was close and fast enough to get by the sand. Just like before, a layer of sand sprung up, meeting his leg with a sickening thud of creaking bone.

Flipping onto his hands, the blonde flexed his arms before somersaulting back as the sand surged once more. Landing a few meters away, Naruto took a slow, easing breath, chest heaving from excitement more than anything as he assessed the situation.

He knew he should be scared out of his mind, and even though a part of him was absolutely terrified, that part was infinitely small compared to the one that sang along side him, screaming in absolute glee as he danced around the sand.

The seductive touch of euphoria that surged through his being each and every time he jumped, ran, and punched called to him in a way that he couldn't completely explain, but was always there, an ever present entity just waiting below the surface.

He didn't know if it was the Kyuubi or even if it was something completely different, but it had always been there. It had been there during the battle on the bridge, it had been there during his spars with Sasuke, it had even been there during his mission with Hinata's team, but it had never been as strong as it was now.

It urged him to draw it forward, singing sweet songs of power untold in his ear, to simply let _go _each and every time he met a strong opponent on the battlefield, but he wouldn't, he couldn't. He didn't know _what_ would happen if he ever did, and he had no desire to find out.

Hell, he already had more than enough to worry about trying to control the Kyuubi's yokai, just like the last time he had met Gaara before the Chuunin Exam. It was still trying to get out, urging him to use it and destroy all those that stood against him. And Naruto knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that if he did call upon the accursed power of the demon, he could destroy the red head as easily as a vengeful God would destroy an insignificant bug.

Quickly snapping himself out of his thoughts, Naruto shook his head ruefully as he returned his attention to the matter at hand. It looked like Shino hadn't been kidding when he said that all physical attacks were useless against the red head. Even if you did get within striking distance, the sand was more than strong enough to handle anything thrown at it. His leg was still tingling from the kick.

But then again, he was only one boy, and if one body wasn't enough, than he'd just make more.

Grinning wickedly, Naruto snapped his hands into a cross shaped seal, chakra surging through his veins as it rose to the surface, answering its master's call for power, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

A loud series of pops resonated through the sand filled clearing as it was bathed in a shower of chakra-laden smoke. Both Kankuro and Temari looked around nervously, slightly wary of what would pop out of the smoke while Gaara continued to stare at the last place he had seen the Uzumaki boy, the sand around his feet twitching spasmodically, ready to defend at a moment's notice.

The sand suddenly sprang to life as a haymaker flew out of the smoke to its left, a loud 'thud' echoing through the clearing a second later as the clone's fist met the unyielding barrier of sand accompanied by the grating sound of breaking bones.

Gaara smirked, almost laughing at the foolishness of his opponent as a jagged spike of sand sped out of the barrier, impaling the yellow haired fool through his eye. But the smirk died down when the expected spray of blood didn't come; rather, the blonde disappeared in a puff of smoke which quickly dissipated with what was left of the cloud from before.

And as much as he tried to deny it, Gaara couldn't stop the smallest bits of awe shining in his pale emerald eyes as he glanced at over a hundred blondes surrounding him, that same, insufferable grin painted across each and every whiskered face, mocking him with its cheerfulness.

He would kill this boy if it was the last thing he did, end of story.

Over a dozen clones rushed towards him, some wielding kunai while others threw shuriken, a literal wall of death whirring maddeningly towards the calm jinchuuriki. The shield instantly stopped all of the weapons as more sand whipped forward, impaling the clones on spikes of earth before they even got close to the weapon of Suna.

Nevertheless, dozens of more clones rushed forward, unheeding of their brethren's demise only moments before as Naruto watched from his vantage point. If he could only find a weakness in the shield, then he might be able to get past it and actually hit the bastard. But the longer he watched his clones futilely try to get past it and die in increasingly gruesome manners, the more and more useless it looked.

"Holy mother of hell!" Naruto yelled as his vision suddenly exploded with sand. Spikes burst forth from the ground as Gaara raised his hands, impaling the remaining clones that soon disappeared with a flare of smoke. It seemed that dear old Gaara had grown tired of killing nothing but bloodless clones,

'_Well damn, that was a waste of chakra. Even with all of those __**Kage Bunshin**_,_ I still couldn't get a single hit in.'_ Naruto thought humourlessly. Although chakra conservation had never been that big of a deal for him, Jiraiya had always preached about the importance of control and conserving ones energy, even if they _did _have otherworldly stores that dwarfed even the most hardened of jounin.

The best idea now would be to get away from the veritable desert they were standing on to take at least some of the advantage away from his opponent, and deciding to do just that, Naruto crouched low to the ground before kicking off like a bullet, shooting towards the tree line in the distance.

Gaara blinked in slight surprise as his opponent disappeared into the trees before seemingly coming to his senses, a small, deranged smile making its way onto his face in the process. It looked like his prey had decided to run. Not that it mattered; it would only make the final prize that much better if he had to work for it. Besides, it was only natural for the prey to run from the predator.

While Gaara continued to stare towards the tree line with bloodshot emerald eyes, the sand beneath his feet quickly reformed into a gourd on his back as another cloud of sand formed beneath his feet. With naught but a mental command, the crystallized earth quickly raised its master into the air before taking off after the blonde genin.

Back in the clearing, both Temari and Kankuro glanced towards one another, identical looks of resignation passing between them before they shot off after their deranged brother and his quarry. As much as they would love to simply get to the tower, Gaara _was_ their little brother. They would follow him through hell or high waters because in the end, all they had was each other.

To them, it didn't matter that he housed a demon or that he would kill them at a moment's notice if provoked, he was still their sibling, the same blood that flowed through their veins flowed through his and that was that.

Naruto, meanwhile, was bounding from tree to tree, pillars of glistening white sand zooming past him, some nothing more than a hairbreadth away and annihilating entire trees in their wake. He could still hear the demented voice of Gaara calling out behind him, tinged with insanity and bloodlust, "Run all you want Uzumaki, no one can escape my sand."

"Bastard just doesn't give up, does he?" The Kyuubi container quietly muttered to himself. Dodging another blast of sand, Naruto quickly gathered chakra to his feet before jumping straight up while throwing his hands into the all too familiar cross shaped seal. He had a plan now that they weren't surrounded by sand, but he still needed to be in an open space for it to actually work.

Branches and leaves blurred past him as indistinguishable smudges of color as he flew past them, going further and further up towards the midnight black sky as he jumped from tree to tree.

A moment later and his form along with three others soared over the canopy of the forest. Not soon after did the forces of gravity take back control as Naruto and his clones slowly but surely slowed down. Looking up as the pleasantly frigid night air smashed into his face, sapphire orbs glanced at the full moon, almost unnaturally large in the starless sky. Only a few more hours were left till sunrise, he just hoped he could get away from the sand wielding genin while he still had the cover of darkness to hide him.

Sand suddenly surged towards him as Gaara's form broke through the canopy, floating on a cloud of sabulous grit and pale, gangly arms raised towards him.

The clone to his left grabbed his arm, throwing him even higher as the sand smashed into it, reducing him to nothing more than smoke and dust. The other clone followed, throwing the last of the bunshin beside him as it channelled what little chakra it had.

The clone rising beside the blonde was enveloped in a haze of smoke before the frosty wind blew it away revealing a shuriken as large as the jinchuuriki was wide. Snatching the bladed weapon out of the air with a quick snap of his wrist, the grinning son of a Hokage snapped it open before hurling it towards the glaring son of a Kazekage.

The windmill of death personified cut through the air as sand rose to block it, momentarily blocking Gaara's view of the blonde. The two met with a shower of sparks and dirt, the whirlwind of metal slowly spinning to a dead halt three inches into the supposedly impassable barrier, the edges shining a dull red in the black night.

Lowering his shield, Gaara smiled menacingly towards his opponent who simply raised his hands into a seal, a truly colossal amount of chakra pulsing through the air a moment later.

The murderous genin watched on, baleful green orbs staring at the blonde whilst idly noting the distinct lack of smoke accompanying the usual technique. Seeing the lack of clones that usually followed the hand seal, Gaara smirked before thrusting his palm forward, the sand following his command and hurtling itself towards the Konoha genin at breakneck speeds. Imagine his surprise when his grainy weapon suddenly shot towards his back.

A meaty 'thud' followed as the sand blocked the clone that had materialized out of thin air behind him. Gaara whipped around, expecting more clones only to have the doppelganger give him a cheeky wink, exploding into smoke a moment later as more sand unexpectedly burst forth from his gourd and blocked the two clones that appeared in front of him.

The sand lashed out, destroying the bunshins' within the blink of an eye when everything fell quite. The cloud upon which Gaara rode slowly revolved around, aquamarine eyes scouring the night sky like a hungry vulture, expecting an attack at any moment.

And it came.

Hundreds of kunai raced towards him from below as a sea of orange blobs launched their assault from the tree tops, the instruments of death forming a veritable wall of reflecting metal in the light of the moon as Gaara continued to gaze on, completely unconcerned. He knew that his sand would block them all; it would not allow anything or _anyone_ touch him for as long as he lived.

With naught but a command, the gourd on his back exploded into the tiny fragments that made it before it all rushed below him, situating itself between its master and the incoming weaponry. The blob of anamorphic solids seemed to draw itself in, forming a small, compact ball of densely packed brown earth before exploding outwards into the night sky.

Meanwhile, all of the Naruto clones on the tree tops looked up in awe as a vertical wall of sand blocked out the moon, casting the entire area below into unfathomable shadows and darkness. Each and every single one of the clones tensed, expecting the worst as their thrown weapons met the wall and exploded out of existence, not even leaving a scratch behind to show their efforts.

Grinning madly, the genin riding the wall of sand raised a hand into a half-ram seal as he focused his chakra into the floating mass below him. Almost immediately, the bottom of the barrier rippled before bullet sized pieces of sand flew off, screaming through the air as they met the clones head on.

Smoke billowed into the sky from the destroyed clones, some were quick enough to de-summon themselves while others where run through by the supersonic sand, meeting their untimely demise at the hands of a lunatic but it didn't matter, they had done their job.

High above even the desert controlling jinchuuriki himself, the original Naruto smirked as he watched all of the sand fly down to block the hail of kunai, "Hehe, just what I wanted." It had taken a hell of a lot of clones, chakra, and time both to stay up in the air for so long and to supply all those kunai but it was well worth it.

The final clone beside him grabbed his legs before hurtling him towards Gaara, the augmented strength of the bunshin and the forces of gravity speeding up his fall far beyond speeds he could ever hope to run, at least in his current condition.

The blonde and black missile whistled through the air towards the unsuspecting jinchuuriki, excitement and adrenaline pumping through his veins like never before as his eyes flashed crimson red, the color of freshly spilt blood.

Gaara turned, eyes widening imperceptibly as the sand around his feet frantically shot up towards an unseen danger, but in the end, it was too slow.

The blonde smashed into him with bone breaking intensity, his mouth opening into a soundless scream as an alien sensation washed over his being, setting his nerves alight with fiery numbness. The world flew out of focus as his mind frantically tried to recognize the feeling felt only once before, on a night so long ago.

Naruto smirked victoriously as he wrapped his arms around the dazed Gaara even as they fell out of the sky, speeding towards the ground at insane speeds. His plan had been a long shot even by his standards, but at least it had worked! All he had to do was get Mr. Sandman away from his one and only weapon and he was absolutely defenceless. But even now, he could see the sand speeding down after them, or rather, after Gaara. He had to make this quick or else the sand would reach them before he could even do anything.

Gaara watched with hateful eyes as the blonde above him reared his arm back before it shot forward, starbursts suddenly exploding across his vision as a fist blasted across his face. He could feel the armour of sand surrounding his body cracking from the force of the blow.

'_What the _hell _was that!?'_ Naruto mentally screamed as he saw the spider web-like cracks spread across the pale cheek. Whatever it was, it felt like hitting a concrete wall, only ten times harder.

A piece of Gaara's check suddenly chipped off revealing ashen pale skin beneath as the blonde watched on with detached amazement. Who would've thought that the bastard would use _sand_ of all things as armour? Using it for attacking he could understand, even using it for defence was believable, but armour of all things!?

Returning his attention back to the matter at hand, the unknown Namikaze quickly looked down at the quickly approaching ground when an iridescent flash caught his attention. Shifting his head to look up as best as he could, scarlet red orbs widened in alarm as they saw where they were headed, the barbed fence that surrounded the Forest of Death.

…Shit

Now _this _was going to hurt.

The next few seconds passed in a blur but all Naruto could focus on was the sharp, ripping sensation that spread down his back and the excruciating hold of the sand on his ankles before the world went black as he hit the ground hard enough to crater it.

Luckily, he came to not more than a minute later to the sound of people talking. Pushing through the haze of pain and near delirium brought on by a concussion, the aching blonde slowly got to his hands and knees before shakily pushing himself to his feet.

"Get out of my way or die." The words were said in an odd, emotionless voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, but they did have the added effect of snapping him out of his dazed condition. Frowning slightly, Naruto focused in on the four figures standing before him, one distinctly female from the pronounced curves.

"Hey, isn't that the examiner…? What's she doing here?" The last thing he remembered was fighting Gaara in the fore-, "Shit! Gaara!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, remembering what had happened. They had flown through the barb wired fence before hitting the ground, then nothing.

Unbidden, the blonde winced as he realized that his back was probably a mangled mess. He didn't need to see it to feel the rivulets of blood streaming down his back and legs.

The examiner -Mitarashi Anko, he remembered dully- whirled around at the sound of his voice, trench coat wrapping around her provocative frame like a sultry hug as she stared at him with confused hazel orbs before seemingly coming to his senses, "You, what are you two doing out of the forest when the exam is still on." The special jounin demanded angrily.

Deciding to ignore her question, at least for the moment, Naruto quickly gave her a once over. Not that he was checking her out of anything, she just looked different since the last time he had seen her, more sickly in an odd sort of way. Her skin a slight sheen of sweat glistening in the moonlight, and her usually radiantly glowing complexion was now more of an ashen pale visible even in the darkness.

Snapping himself out of his thought, the jinchuuriki grinning sheepishly as he noticed her smouldering glare. However just as he was about to answer the slightly sickly looking jounin, a cloud of sand swept across his vision, throwing the snake summoner to the side and revealing the utterly calm face of Gaara, complete with his gourd and not a single mark on him.

Naruto tensed, preparing for another fight when the two other figures blurred into motion. One appeared into existence between them, palm facing the red haired demon container and a slight aura of radiant blue chakra surrounded the outstretched hand. Even as far away as he was now, Naruto could feel the pure essence of power within the glowing corona of energy as an unnatural calm settled over his shoulders. He didn't know how, or even _why_ –but he had a distinct impression it was because of the porcelain masked shinobi in front of him- but he felt calmer, more level headed than he had ever before in his life, almost unnaturally so.

Even Gaara who had seemed hell bent on killing him moments ago seemed to have become somewhat calmer. The sand lay motionless as his feet, and even the general aura of killing intent that followed the royalty of Suna seemed to have disappeared.

The voice of the other ANBU rang out in the clearing, as cold and as emotionless as Gaara himself, "Stand down genin, or you _will_ be exterminated." The emerald-eyed genin stared up into the holes of the mask unflinchingly, a detached sort of madness dancing just below the surface despite the composed veneer. However even the hidden insanity seemed more composed somehow, unlike the raging madness that had been dwelling within those jaded orbs moments before.

The ANBU returned the glare with her own reserved stare, the dual openings of her bear-like mask glowing with the power of the elite of the elite, the assassins of Konoha. Minutes passed between them before Gaara hesitantly lowered his head, ceasing his internal struggle. It would not do well to go against Konoha's most elite shinobi, especially the one that stood kneeled before him.

There was something unusual about him, something different and utterly terrifying. Even now, as the ANBU slowly got up to check on the examiner that his sand had thrown aside, Shukaku was completely silent, not a single scream of insanity or a demand for the blood of those that stood against him. It was unnerving, so to speak to actually hear the demon in his head be quite for the first time in his life, and not more than a little frightening.

Just think about it, what kind of power did the man have to possess to silence a raging demon?

The very thought caused his stomach to lurch painfully, a rather uncomfortable sensation to someone that had only felt hatred and loneliness for the majority of his life. Frowning slightly, Gaara shifted his head slightly as two more figures jumped over the mutilated fence before walking towards him.

"G-Gaara… Are you okay?" Temari's voice, hesitant and full of fear, a stark contrast to her usual strong and prideful tone broke him from his thoughts of the demon that he held. It was almost surreal with which he could see the world around him now, the presence of the Ichibi nothing more than a slight twinge even when he focused on it. Narrowing his ringed eyes in determination, Gaara burned the image of the tiger masked ANBU into his mind, resolving to hunt him down later and forcing him to tell him his secrets. He would give anything to have moments of clarity like this, anything.

Seeing him nod slightly, the kunoichi from Suna let her shoulders sag in relief. She had seen the blonde and her brother fall out of the sky like forsaken angels, one a radiant blonde and the other a blood drenched scarlet. If Gaara had been hurt in that fall, she was sure Shukaku would have risen to the surface. Thankfully, the sand had been able to reach Gaara just before he had hit the ground, but it _was _surprising that the barbed wire fence had done absolutely nothing, not even leaving a single scratch behind.

Speaking of the blonde, where was he? He didn't have any sort of defence like Gaara's unbeatable sand -but after seeing his two battles between the bug using Aburame and the unrelenting Uzumaki; Temari sincerely doubted it was truly as unbeatable as they had been led to believe- to protect him, at least she didn't _think _he did and seeing as how he stood up against her demonic brother, Temari doubted a fall of all things would stop him.

Blinking at the slight feelings of concern that welled within her, Temari quickly shoved them down to the deepest recesses of her mind before glancing towards the seductively dressed jounin as she stumbled to stand in front of them. Anko seemed to shake her head dazedly before turning to look behind her, "Oi blondie, get your butt over here before I make you." She threatened.

The limping form of Uzumaki Naruto soon came into view, clothes torn to shred and blood dripping off of his form with each and every step. At least his crimson vest looked to be in good condition, but upon closer inspection, Temari could see the gigantic tears going down the back and sides like angry red claw marks, crimson liquid oozing down the fabric and dying it a deep scarlet bordering on black.

"Alright, now that I have your attention, why don't you four explain what the hell's going on before I disqualify both you two and your teams?" Anko said dryly while pointed looking towards Naruto and Gaara. While she had a pretty good idea, it was still better to get their story before she outright disqualified them, not that the red head didn't deserve any better for attacking her. While she was certain she could handle herself, a small part of her was grateful that Tenzou and Yuugao had been there with her, she doubted she would have been able to defeat the Suna jinchuuriki after her meeting with Orochimaru.

As one, all three genin from the Sand turned towards blonde, causing him to let out an uneasy laugh. Scratching the back of his bloody head in nervousness and flashing the second examiner a uneasy grin, Naruto began, a slight trail of sweat trailing down his brow, "Well, you see, me and Gaara were fighting in the air when I talked him, and I guess we ended up here..."

Flickering open his bright cerulean eyes, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune looked up at Anko's own incredulous stare, "Do you honestly expect me to believe you were flying in the air?" She asked, scepticism tingeing her voice. Sure, she had seen many things in her life as a kunoichi, rampaging demons, jutsu that would leave you gaping like a fool for hours on end, and even crazy snake nin's chase after immortality like Jiraiya chased after a beautiful woman, but flying of all things? Maybe she had given the blonde too much credit if he actually thought she would believe him.

Scowling, the blonde huffed in annoyance before putting his hands into a cross shaped seal. He hated it when people called him a liar, even if indirectly, he had enough of that from the various villagers throughout Konoha. Oh well, there was no better way to prove yourself then through example, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**."

A single clone popped into existence beside Naruto before both of them jumped into the air. Anko watched, curiosity shining in her hazel orbs as the clone -at least she thought it was the clone- grabbed the original's hands before hurling him up. Another clone popped into existence besides the rising blonde, repeating the actions of the first as soon as the original began slowing down.

This continued on in the same fashion, the clones keeping Naruto in the air before exploding out of existence and the jinchuuriki making clone after clone to keep him afloat. A few seconds later and the blonde hit the ground, landing in the crouch as the last of the doppelgangers vanished in a cloud of hazy smoke.

Straightening up, Naruto gave the shocked jounin a shit eating grin, sapphire eyes sparkling with untold amounts of mischief much like the very kitsune sealed within him, "See, told you I could stay in the air."

Anko simply looked at the grinning genin before huffing in mock annoyance. The audacity of it all, to think she was beaten by a genin of all things, and a newly instated one at that. Although on the other hand, it had been quite awe inspiring to see a genin perform something that would drain most new jounin dry and come out of it not even breathing hard.

"Alright, alright, I believe you." Anko muttered angrily as she waved at him off, "But now what? You four are out of the boundaries of the second exam and as examiner, I should disqualify you." Ignoring the blonde's loud protest, she levelled a frigid glare towards him, reminding him of exactly who he was dealing with before she continued, "_But_ since I never did mention that little tidbit of information while I explained the rules, now did I? I doubt it's even against the rules in the first place because it's never happened before."

"So do we get to continue to exam?" Naruto piped up hopefully. He needed to find Sakura and Sasuke before they began to think he had gone and gotten himself killed. Who knows what could have happened to them since his little incident with getting eaten by the snake and all.

But his hopes were dashed as Anko shook her head, "No, you four are coming with me while the two ANBU go and find blondie's teammates. Like I said before, this has never happened in all my time overlooking this exam and while I would disqualify you, we should rather go and check with Hokage-sama just to be on the safe side."

'_Well that_ _and the bastard Snake Sannin threatened to destroy Konoha if the Uchiha was pulled out of the exams.' _While Anko seriously doubted the notorious traitor's words, you never knew with that slippery fucker would end up doing. Back to the matter at hand, the special jounin cleared her throat once before continuing, "If Sandaime-sama does in fact allow you to continue, you will be left in the forest to complete the exam and gather the two scrolls."

Noticing the pig-tailed girl open her mouth to ask a question, Anko quickly interrupted, already knowing what she was going to ask, "And yes, if you already have both scrolls, you will be left in the tower while we wait for the five days to be over." Seeing that everything seemed to be in order, she turned towards the two ANBU at her side, "Seeing as I'll be getting them to the Tower, you two will have to go search for the Uchiha and Haruno."

Nodding once, the two assassins leapt over the shattered fence in a single bound before quickly making their way into the forest, five pairs of eyes following their movement as their black outlines disappeared into the night sky.

"Alright, I want to make it to the Tower before noon, so get your asses in gear." Jumping slightly at the sound of her voice, Naruto shook his head once to clear his thought before jumping after the sadistic jounin. It wouldn't do to get left behind, who knows if Gaara might try to kill him again.

_Two Hours Later…_

The sky was alight with the climbing sun as it rose over the horizon, painting the heavens a swirling purple and scarlet orange as the four genin and one tokubetsu jounin quickly made their way through the forest. It had been two hours since they had started, and Anko knew that they had around another two hours left before they got to the tower.

The blonde jinchuuriki tree hopping beside her yawned slightly, a small, tanned hand coming up to stifle the involuntary sign of a sleep deprived mind before returning to his side. Nevertheless, she had to give the boy credit for holding out so long. From the looks of things, it seemed like he hadn't slept ever since they had entered the forest, quite a feat for anyone. Then again, the boy behind her seemed to have not slept a wink his entire life if the racoon-like rings around his eyes were anything to go by, _'Probably has something to do with being a jinchuuriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku.' _The snake mistress thought morbidly.

True, jinchuuriki often received powers beyond the comprehension of even the most powerful of shinobi and kunoichi alike, but that power always came at a price, after all, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Judging by the large, solid black rings around his eyes, the jinchuuriki of Suna wasn't able to sleep at all in return for having unmatched control over sand. Plus it looked as if he had been as feared and as hated as Konoha's own little weapon if the posture of his teammates was anything to go by. The fan wielding kunoichi seemed to be sending the emerald-eyed genin furtive looks of both fear and oddly enough, concern, while the puppet wielding boy always seemed to have someone between him and the jinchuuriki.

And speaking of Konoha's weapon, she _was_ slightly curious as to exactly what powers he had gotten from the demon. From what little time she had spent in his presence, it looked as if the blonde had gained almost untold amounts of chakra, higher than even Hokage-sama's but in return, his control was absolutely atrocious. Not as bad as it could have been, but still pretty wasteful. Secondly, he seemed to have an outstanding healing factor, almost bordering supernatural.

She had seen the large tears going down his back from when he had crashed through the barb wired fence, yet all that remained now was a long series of barely visible, pinkish white scars. And despite what others may think, to heal wounds like that in nothing more than a few hours was not to be taken lightly. Hell, if the boy actually developed it any further, it would nigh impossible to take him out of a fight for more than a few minutes no matter the amount of injuries inflicted on him. Still, for housing the strongest demon in existence, the 'benefits' seemed mediocre at best. After all, the Kyuubi had been said to level entire mountains with a flick of its tails and while she was no expert on demons, it was only logical to assume that the containers power should reflect the demon they contained.

But since that was neither here or there, it was best to just forget such things. Not only that, but digging any deeper to satisfy her curiosity would probably lead to her execution since the Hokage had forbidden any and all research into the topic to all but the highest tier of ninja. She had no intentions of dying before she completed her lifelong goal.

Completely ignorant to the thoughts of the tokubetsu jounin beside him, Naruto let loose another yawn as he paused on a rather large branch before taking off again. It wouldn't do well to run into a tree at the speeds they were going at, especially given how tired he was. Not only would it be unpleasantly humiliating, but he would probably end up rearranging his face and he quite liked how he looked right now.

Trying his best to push the tiredness away, the blonde glanced around at the unending array of bizarre trees surrounding them with weary eyes. True he had untold amounts of stamina, but it seemed that even he had his limits. Between running through a literal forest of death for several hours, all of the **Kage Bunshin** he had created, his fight with the snake and then his fight with Gaara had drained him worse than ever before.

His bored mind soon drifted off towards his lost teammates, _'I wonder what they're doing.'_ The blonde wondered slightly before smirking amusedly as a thought struck him, _'Hehe, knowing Sakura, she's probably asking the teme out on a date.'_ He had to wonder exactly what Sakura -and by proxy, all of the other girls in Konoha- saw in Sasuke. Was it his looks, because to him, he sort of looked like a duck with his hair sticking out like that. Or was it his clan status? In spite of everything, their extreme arrogance, their superiority complex, the Uchiha clan seemed to be loved by all of the villagers. Whatever it was, it had all of the girls in Konoha falling head over heels for the bastard.

Now that he thought about, the only girl that _didn't_ chase after Sasuke was Hinata. Chuckling slight at the image of Hinata -shy, sweet, and adorable Hinata- of all people chasing after Sasuke that popped into his mind, Naruto closed his eyes before shaking his head to get rid of the image.

And promptly smacked face first into a tree.

Anko landed beside him just in time to grab a hold of his torn vest as he fell off of the branch. Steadying himself, Naruto looked up even as rivulets of crimson fluid streamed down his face to see that everyone had stopped, "W-Why did we stop." The short genin asked, wincing in pain as even that small movement made spasms of agony shoot through his face.

"Shut up and see for yourself." The sultry jounin replied, nodding towards a distant spot in the sky. Blinking in surprise at the barely concealed anger and grit teeth, Naruto looked towards the south sky where a pillar of deep violet chakra stood, flickering in and out of existence like a firefly with just the barest bits of blue visible.

"What is that…? Temari asked in silent awe. That had to be an insane amount of chakra if they could see it with their naked eye.

Unsurprisingly, it was Anko that answered, "It's your teammate blondie, the Uchiha." Ignoring the shocked turned worried look from the demon container, Anko focused on what this actually meant. It seemed that despite all odds, Sasuke had not only survived the application of the curse seal from Orochimaru, but was now awake and readily using its powers no more than six hours after its application.

Un-freaking-believable…

If it weren't for the fact that she was so angry she could barely see straight, Anko would have gaped in awe at the mere thought. She herself had a curse seal and knew _exactly_ how hard it had been to even move the days following its first activation. Not only that, but she had been a chuunin at the time with the training of a living legend under her belt.

And here was a genin, a freshly minted one at that with nothing more than a few months of training and a single A-rank mission using the seals power as if it was going out of style. That had to be that, it was the only thing that could explain such a massive spike of chakra from any other genin in this exam.

But despite Sasuke being able to survive the seal, she just hoped he was strong enough to resist its utterly intoxicating effects. She could still remember the sensation of limitless chakra coursing through her veins, the overwhelming feeling of power and invincibility but even that was nothing more than a facade.

True, it gave you more chakra than you knew what to do with, but in the end, it would only do more harm than good, a lesson she knew personally. A normal human body cannot, under any circumstances, control and regulate that much chakra, and the more the seal was used, the quicker it would eat away at the user's body.

Unseen to all, Anko unconsciously raised a hand at that last thought before placing it on her toned stomach, unshed tears shining in her eyes as she thought of what that…that _bastard's_ seal had taken from her.

At first, the seal had seemed like a boon. She would use it whenever she could, on missions, during spars, or even when she needed a boost of energy after a particularly long day. It was like eating a soldier pill and opening the celestial gates all rolled into one just without the side-effects. Even Hokage-sama had been fine with it since using it didn't have any adverse effects on the body other than the expected bouts of weakness, at least in the beginning.

And then she had begun coughing up blood.

The doctors had later told her that her body was slowly being eaten away, almost as if by a slow acting poison. They didn't know what had caused it but after extensive studying of the seal on her neck, they had concluded that it was the cause. The repeated surges of energy had wrecked havoc on both her chakra circulatory system and the surrounding organs, almost killing her in the process. Even the chakra it gave was a result of the seal ripping open the first celestial gate and converting the body's stamina into energy.

But that wasn't the worst part.

She still remembered it like it was yesterday. The medic-nin, a kunoichi that she barely knew, had walked in for one of her monthly visits, tears glistening in her deep fuchsia eyes and simply overflowing with pity. She had hesitantly asked what was wrong, and the medic-nin had sobbed once, the sound a heartbreaking moan of one that had lost all hope for justice in this world before telling her that she would never have children, that the damage done by the seal was too far too extensive and that her body would never be able to carry a child.

And that was why she would kill Orochimaru, not because he had left her for dead, not because he had abandoned her when she thought of him as a father, but because he took away her one chance at happiness after he had been done with her, her one chance for a normal future.

However, before she could delve further into her past, a blonde and black blur shot past her followed by a red blur floating on a cloud of sand. It seemed that both the jinchuuriki were making their way towards the inferno of purple chakra. Naruto, she could understand, but why would Gaara follow him?

Blinking away the remaining tears, Anko quickly wiped away the trails of saline water that were streaming down her face before turning to regard the two Suna nin still situated behind her, "Come on, we might as well follow them since I'll undoubtedly have to investigate that pillar of chakra." Anko muttered before taking off, Temari and Kankuro hot on her heels.

Farther ahead of them, Naruto grit his teeth before speeding up, chaotic chakra pumping through his legs and further heightening his speed as he blazed through the trees, unheeding of the branches and leaves smashing across his face and leaving large, bleeding lacerations. Only one thought ran through his frantic mind as he raced along, _'Sasuke, Sakura, please be okay.' _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura stared on at the sight before her, horror shining in her emerald orbs as she looked at what her one and only love had become. This, this _thing _was not her Sasuke-kun; it couldn't be, Sasuke would never be this cruel, this _brutal_ towards anyone, even his enemies.

Dark, miasmic chakra swirled around him, forming a growing pillar of purple energy and bathing the clearing they were in with raw, uncontrolled killing intent. The grass around his feet had yellowed, curling and dying from the wicked energy. Even his usually handsome features were twisted into a demented smirk, screaming of arrogance and superiority as he looked down at the Oto genin kneeling before him.

To Sakura, it felt like being in the eye of a storm, you could see the destruction around you but were completely unaffected by it. Too bad for the trio of Sound nin, they were directly in its path.

The girl, Kin, was lying a few feet to her left, unconscious from hitting a tree head on. A large, purplish red bruise was already forming on her cheek from where Sasuke-kun had back handed her, the large mark marring her admittedly pretty features.

The second genin, a boy by the name of Zaku was kneeling on the ground in front of her Sasuke-kun, arms twisted behind her back and head bowed down as her teammate placed his foot on his back, "Hehe, you seem to be pretty proud of these twigs you call arms. Let's see what you can do without them…"

The sound of snapping bones and tearing muscles flooded the clearing a moment later as the Uchiha pulled, the Oto genin screaming in pain as his shoulders popped out of their sockets with unnatural ease. Hiding in the shrubbery surrounding the glade, Ino snapped a hand to her mouth as she watched her Sasuke-kun brutally torture the boy. Another pulse of chakra washed over them and the shivering Chouji beside her winced, hands held over his head as if to ward of the evil taint in the air. Only Shikamaru seemed to be completely unaffected by the ever growing killing intent surrounding them like a suffocating cloud of sulphurous gas, his dark eyes instead looking on at the scene with calculating eyes belying his extraordinary intelligence.

Sasuke turned, dual pinwheels spinning around black, diluted pupils as he regarded the last Oto genin, a mummified boy going by the name of Dosu. The flame-like cancerous marks marring his skin pulsed an eerie light scarlet before spreading across his features like a contagious disease, "You, you're the last one left. I just hope you're more fun that those two weaklings." The dark shroud of chakra surrounding the Uchiha seemed to grow as he turned around before taking a threatening step towards the quivering Oto genin, the smirk on his face only widening as he saw the fear in his lone eye, _'This, this is the power that I need to kill him, and he will give it to me.'_

He felt more powerful than he had ever before in his life, it felt extraordinary, intoxicating on a level he couldn't even begin to explain. All he knew was that this power, given to him by that man would be the fall of Itachi.

But that man could wait until later, there was still some unfinished business he needed to take care of, "Why do you look so terrified, weren't you going to kill me? Whatever happened to all of those threats?" Sasuke muttered, eyes widening in joy as the Sound nin took a trembling step back, "What, so you can pick on weaklings, but when the big boys want to play, you can't even talk? Feh, you're pathetic, I should just put you out of your misery and save us both the trouble of your continued existence."

Sasuke tensed, preparing to end this pathetic excuse for a shinobi's life when a meaty thud across his back stopped him. Unbidden, trembling arms wrapped around him from behind, the smell of cherry blossoms exploding across his senses as his vision was invaded with pink. A moment passed, then two before a small sobbing sound broke through the silence as Sakura whimpered into his ear, the sound of a broken girl seeing her dreams die around her, "Please, please stop Sasuke-kun…"

Both the team of Konoha genin hidden in the shrubbery and Neji watched on as the black marks flared red before slowly receding, the malevolent chakra shrinking alongside the vanishing curse before disappearing altogether.

That was the scene Naruto burst into, Sasuke standing in the center of a destroyed field, eyes alight with confusion as he stared at his own hands and Sakura's arms wrapped around him from behind, heavy tears of sadness and sorrow streaming down her bruised cheeks.

And despite himself, the blonde couldn't stop the small pangs of sadness from resonating through his chest as he slowly averted his eyes, _'I guess they don't really need me at all.'_ Iruka had told them that genin teams were supposed to be like family, the bonds they had nigh unbreakable. But why, despite those reassuring words, did he feel like nothing more than a third wheel, nothing more than a stranger intruding upon two people.

And despite being surrounded by people, Naruto had never felt more alone in his life.

Unknown to all, Gaara stared at the yellow haired genin beside him; eyes alight with consideration as he looked at the emotions flashing through those radiant sapphire orbs. Only now they were somewhat dulled, the bright azure becoming a stormy grey as the blonde lowered his head in sadness, the shadows of his golden locks covering all but those pools of eternal blue.

He had seen eyes like that before, eyes that flashed with unbridled loneliness that only a life of desolation and solitude could bring. But despite this new development, he would still kill the blonde, even if they were alike, mother had demanded his blood, and she would get it.

"Temari…" The Suna jinchuuriki called out, wincing slightly as the shrieking voice of Shukaku made itself known once again. He had to remember to find that masked shinobi again, if only to silence that damnable voice. Seeing the kunoichi turn towards him, he continued, "Where is the scroll that we acquired from the Rain nin?"

Blinking slightly at the odd request but knowing better than to question her brother, the Desert Rose quickly reached into her kimono and pulled out the blood heaven encrusted scroll before throwing it towards him, "Why do you need it Gaara?" She just hoped that her brother didn't try to open it. Not only was it against the rules, but she knew that it was also part of the exam. After all, shinobi, especially chuunin and above were usually given missions that handled classified information. This was probably just a way to make sure that they could be trusted with said information.

Easily ignoring the question, Gaara willed his sand to catch the runaway scroll before calling out towards the blonde, "Hey Uzumaki."

Startled out of his thoughts, Naruto turned towards the red head, eyes alight with paranoia as he regarded the jinchuuriki with practiced ease, "What is it?" Naruto asked. If he wanted to resume their little match, well, he was pretty sure he could handle him with a little help from his team.

After a couple of moments of uncomfortable silence, the sand holding the scroll suddenly whipped forward, the scroll whipping through the air like a kunai as the granulated earth relinquished its hold. Raising a hand, Naruto caught the flying piece of parchment before turning towards Gaara with a raised eyebrow only to see the emerald-eyed genin already walking away.

Huffing slightly in annoyance, the blonde was about to walk towards his old team when Gaara stopped, his odd, dispassionate, and infinitely cold voice floating towards him, "The next time I see you Uzumaki, I will feed you to my sand." And with that, the cold blooded genin resumed his unhurried gate towards the patiently waiting snake mistress.

Oh yeah, they still had to meet with Hokage-sama about their little incident, he had almost forgotten about that. Deciding to worry about that when the time came, Naruto quickly made his way over towards his teammates, the Oto genin and the spandex wearing freak having already left with their own, "Sakura, Sasuke, over here!" The blonde yelled out, dramatically waving his arms as the two turned towards him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Sakura seemed to be the first to break out of her trance as she welcomed him with a small, pained smile, a small wince flashing across her expression a moment later as even that small movement sent twinges of agony across his bruised flesh, "Hey Naruto, where have you been? Sasuke-kun and I were worried about you."

Across from her, the raven haired Uchiha scoffed, denying her statement. Shooting the genius a half-hearted glare, Naruto quickly returned his attention to his only female teammate, his expression changing into one of concern, "What happened while I was away?" Before smirking slightly, "From here, it looks like you tried to take on the entire forest."

Smiling uneasily, the emerald-eyed kunoichi looked towards the silent Uchiha, a unknown message of silence passing between them before she spoke, "Oh nothing much, we just got in a little over our heads and some of the other Konoha teams had to come and bail us out."

While she hated lying to Naruto like this, he didn't need to know what had happened to Sasuke-kun, not now anyways. Besides, she could always tell him later after she had talked to Kakashi-sensei about it.

Staring at her for a few more minutes, Naruto quickly plastered a grin onto his face before giving her a thumbs up, "Well don't worry Sakura, now that I'm here, you have nothing to worry about." But despite his words, he knew she was hiding something, both her and that bastard.

Something had happened while he was away, something big. And as they slowly bean to make their way to the tower, the team from Suna and the second examiner in front of them, Naruto couldn't stop the small shiver of fear that ran up his spine.

He didn't know how, or even why, but it felt as if whatever had happened in this forest was only to the beginning to something, something that would shake the very foundation of the ninja world. He just hoped he was lucky enough to get out of it alive.

And while our blonde hero may be the luckiest son of a bitch alive, that luck had to run out sometimes.

Too bad for him it just did.

**XX AN XX**

First and foremost, I know that sucking out snake venom doesn't work, not only that, but it is also potentially dangerous. I merely used it because it was needed.

Well, there it is. Now, for some questions that came up in some reviews and PM's…

Q – Will Naruto use the Shinigami's chakra again?  
A – He will use it at least two more times before the time skip.

Q – There's too much Sasuke bashing…  
A – Oh well, I thought I was keeping it within a reasonable level, but then again, Sasuke _is_ more of an asshole in my story.

Q – Whatever happened to Naruto's doujutsu?  
A – It will show up from time to time, but I think I've already explained that's it more of a passive bloodline that just manifests physically through the eyes. But even then, it will have some outward effects.

Q – Naruto should be able to use lightning chakra because of his wind and fire affinities.  
A – I've looked into it with how people say lightning is created through friction of the wind on the earth, and that's true to an extent. While friction is used, it's between the innumerable particles of dust, ash, and pollution within the clouds rubbing together to create positive and negative charges, or something along those lines. As it is, lightning has still not been scientifically explained.

Q – Will Naruto kill someone in the preliminaries?  
A – No

Q – Will this be a harem?  
A – No, it will be Naruto x Hinata x Motoko

Q – Sarutobi's real first name is Hiruzen, not Sasuke  
A – Hehe, I know that, I actually have the data book on my computer but I'm too lazy to go back and change it.

Q – Too much emphasis  
A – I'll try to tone it down

Q – Story needs to be more AU  
A – It will be

Q – When will Hinata teach Naruto the control techniques?  
A – Sometime soon

And there you have it. How was it, good bad, so extraordinarily well done you wept with joy? Whatever it is, tell me in a nice, meaningful review and I will be forever grateful. And if that isn't incentive enough, just think of your reviews as a late, late, late birthday present, a late, late Christmas, or even late New Year's present!

Other than that, the next chapter will focus on the preliminaries, and I'm hoping to have it out on the anniversary of when I started this piece of fiction, but I make no promises.

Anyhow, any questions you have can be left in a review or a PM, and I will try my hardest to answer them as quickly as I can if they are specific, but if they are generic, they will be answered in the author's note in the next chapter as always.

**Oh, and before I forget. Remember to check my profile for a daily update on the progress of each fic that I'm working on. And yes, I do update it every day since I like to write around at least a thousand words whenever I **_**do**_** start typing.**


	11. Welcomed War

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** Matrix_Explosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata x Motoko

**Word Count:** 24,080

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** April 11, 2009

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Well damn, it's already been a year, one full year and some odd months since I started this little project. I guess time really _does _fly when you're doing something you want.

Oh, and just a note, filler chapter is filler.

In any case:

Here's chapter 11…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 11 - Welcomed War**

Motoko sighed tiredly, pale, sweaty hands nervously wringing the edges of her skirt as she stared at the opaque white walls of the hospital room. She had been sitting here for the past half an hour, anxiously waiting for the female medic-nin to return from gathering her test results. From what she had seen, it wasn't all that busy today, so it shouldn't have taken nearly as long.

Oh well, it wasn't as if there was anything she could do other than wait. Idly glancing around the room once more, Motoko quietly took in the rather standard hospital room. Various pieces of medical equipment lined the floor and the walls, ranging from blood pressure monitors to those little Popsicle sticks they used to press your tongue down. Even the ever present anatomy posters were there detailing things she could only begin to understand.

Unbidden, the door to her left swung open, revealing the uniform clad form of her doctor, Akako. Pausing for a moment, Motoko took a second to quietly observe the absolutely dazzling kunoichi turned medic nin. Even she could admit that the lady was utterly stunning. Brilliant, crimson red hair cascaded beautifully down her shoulders and back, like a carpet of fine silken strands that shone brilliantly in the morning sun.

Even her skin was flawless, an off-white not unlike that of the shinobi she had seen with those pale lavender eyes. Just the barest hints of flushed pink coloured her cheeks a healthy tone, painting the perfect picture of the enthrals of femininity.

But despite the intoxicating figure and feminine face, Akako's most breathtaking feature had to be her eyes, twin pools of the strangest shades of dark violet mixed with scarlet. The two colors seemed to swirl within each other, coalescing together like oil and water in a hypnotic dance of allure and intrigue.

A soft, melodic voice broke her from her thoughts as Akako slowly walked towards her, clipboard in hand and her generous bust bouncing slightly with each and every step, "How are you feeling Motoko-san, did anything happen while I was away."

Blushing slightly at being caught staring, Motoko quickly averted her gaze before shaking her head, "N-No, I was just thinking, that's all…" She muttered quickly, hoping the beautiful kunoichi would buy it. Good god, what was wrong with her!? She was here for a medical check-up, not to gawk at the nurses.

Akako just smiled in response, but the odd twinkle in her incandescent eyes told otherwise. In the end, she decided to cut the flustered girl come slack as she flipped open the small clipboard in her hand, trained eyes quickly scanning over its contents with expert precision, "Well, everything seems to be in order. Aside from some slight scarring, I'd say you got off lucky." And her patient _had_ gotten off lucky. From what Motoko had told her, she had just been brought to the bandit camp a day or two before she had been rescued by the jinchuuriki.

She herself had known and treated many girls coming from similar situations, sold as slaves from poverty-ridden countries, kidnapped for relief by unscrupulous scum, or merely been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Only most of them had it worse, much worse.

And just like water slipping unheeded through a sieve, the tension simply slid out of the cobalt-eyed girl's body. After her little…_situation_ with the mercenaries, there had been an ever present nagging in the back of her mind, a constant reminder of what could have happened to her, what diseases she could have gotten from those ill-gotten bastards.

But now she could put those fears to rest.

Jumping up from her seat on the examination table with a soft crinkle of rustling paper, Motoko turned towards the medic kunoichi, a radiant smile glowing on her face as she bowed towards her, "Thank you Akako-san." Motoko beamed happily, before looking towards the clock hanging on the wall in front of her, "But I should really get going…"

"Don't worry; we're about done here anyways." The medic said, waving off the other girls concerns before handing her a small slip of paper with a few, nearly unintelligible words scribbled onto it. Was it just her, or did it seem that ever single doctor out there had writing that looked more like chicken scratch?

Seeing her perplexed expression, Akako explained as she quickly opened to door before stepping to the side, "Just make sure you give this to the receptionist downstairs. After all, we need to get paid for all the tests that we've done." And boy had they done a lot. The poor girl was probably still reeling from the simply astonishing amount of blood they had taken. Then again, Motoko _had_ requested them, and let it never be said that Konoha General Hospital refused anyone.

Blushing slightly, Motoko quickly walked out of the door with one final goodbye, the serene laughter of the kunoichi following her until she disappeared around the corner. Making her way down the stairs, the raven-haired girl quickly bound up to the receptionist's desk, wordlessly handing her the little slip of paper as she opened her purse hanging off of her shoulder.

After a quick, hurried glance at the piece of paper, the secretary hastily punched in some numbers on the till beside her, "Your total comes to ¥11005.46 Miss. Motoko. Would you like anything else?" While hearing her name from the receptionist was surprising -but then again, it had to be on the little slip of paper from Akako-san-, what was more surprising was the bland, monotonous tone coming from her. It was a stark contrast to the usual upbeat voices she was surrounded by on an almost daily basis since coming to Konoha.

Unlike the receptionist, Motoko unhurriedly reached into her purse before pulling out a few notes, "No, that's all for today. Thank you though." She replied with a smile, handing the girl the money. Making sure everything added up, Motoko quickly bid her a final good bye before walking out of the hospital. As much as she thanked them for helping her out, she could never stand to stay in such a bland, dreary place for any extended period of time.

Well that and she needed to get going to her new job at that quaint little flower shop near her apartment for her first day of work. It was a good thing too, her weekly stipend from Hokage-sama was beginning to run low, and she didn't know just how long he was willing to give her monetary support. After all, despite how kind the old man seemed, money made the world turn round and nobody could simply throw it away forever.

So with her mind set at ease and her life looking out for the better in a long, long time, Motoko happily bound her way down the streets of her new home, weaving this way and that as she weaved through the scores of people littering the streets so early in the morning, _'Probably has something to do with the Chuunin Exam thing Naruto-sama was talking about.'_

While she didn't know what it entailed, she had gotten the gist of it from Naruto before he had rushed of too only Kami knows where. Apparently, there were classes of ninja, anywhere from an Academy student to the all powerful Hokage that ruled over the entire village, the strongest of them all. At first she had been slightly sceptical, after all, how could the old man sitting in that office be the strongest ninja in the village?

Then she remembered the looks of unbridled respect and awe that were sent his way from the general populace, villagers and ninja alike and she wondered no more.

Still, it was kind of unnerving to think of a man such as himself holding so much power. Even Naruto-sama, who had always seemed so powerful, was only a genin, just above an Academy student in ranking and strength. And that was what the test was supposedly for, to see if genin from all over the hidden villages were ready to take up the responsibility and prove to the judges that they were chuunin material.

Personally, Motoko didn't put too much faith into the ranking system. She didn't doubt that there was probably a genin out there that was more powerful than the strongest of jounin, shinobi that were supposedly only a step below the Hokage in terms of strength and prestige.

The cobalt-eyed girl couldn't help but let a small, warm smile grace her angelic features as she thought of her knight in shining armour when the shop she was supposed to work at came into view.

The building itself was three stories tall, the outside of it coloured a warm shade of pale platinum blonde while the rooftop was the common light tan that pervaded throughout most of Konoha. Nevertheless, despite its rather impressive size, it was still kind of short compared to the buildings surrounding it, either shops or homes, she couldn't tell.

Even the front of the store was decorated with a multitude of flowers and plants. Flower baskets hung from the rafters above, and the small knoll of grass alongside the sidewalk was simply overflowing with them, anything from the common yellow tulips to the strangest combinations of colors she had ever seen.

Idly glancing at the giant whitish pink sign that hung from the front of the building, the words 'Yamanaka Flower Shop' imprinted on it in bold red letters, Motoko curiously made her way inside, walking past the sliding doors with a small sense of awe as she gazed inside. Unknown to her, the automatic doors closed behind with a near inaudible hiss of displaced air and a high pitched chime.

Unbidden, the smell assaulted her nose; a conglomeration of the most pungent, yet beautiful aroma's she had ever had the pleasure of smelling. A small sound of contentment unconsciously left her lips as Motoko walked towards the counter before ringing the bell situated on top, the twinkling, high pitched sound only adding to the near surreal feeling she was experiencing. Oddly, the aroma vanished not a moment later, leaving her feeling strangely at ease and satisfied.

After waiting a few minutes with nobody coming to greet her, Motoko looked around slightly, putting her purse on the counter -it wasn't as if someone was going to steal it when there was nobody there to begin with- before walking towards one of the baskets hanging from the roof.

"Dipladenia…" Motoko muttered, carefully sounding out the strange word imprinted on the small piece of paper. Huh, well that was certainly a strange name, but despite that, nobody could argue the flowers pristine beauty and delicious fragrance.

The petals were a pure white, contrasting sharply against the earthly brown of the pot with small, nearly indistinguishable dots of black scattered in seemingly random order on each petal. The flower itself had five petals, all arranged in a star-like shape around the center, slowly rising out of the stem before fanning out and gently curling inwards.

Making sure no one was looking, Motoko slowly reached out, fingers grasping to feel the pale petals of perfection. She was almost there, just a few more inches.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

Motoko jumped back, heart hammering painfully in her chest as she whirled around to face the open door located near the cash registered, only to blink owlishly at the sight of an amused looking man holding a small, potted plant in one of his hands.

The flower itself was a strange sight. There seemed to be one single stem protruding from the soil with over a dozen buds growing out of its. From there, the four petals of each bud were a rich, deep blue color, surrounding the bulb as if they were a pair of slightly parted lips.

He, on the other hand, had platinum blonde hair, not as dark or as vibrant as Naruto-sama's, but still an interesting and rare shade nonetheless hung down to the small of his back, two long bangs framing each side of his face and ending near his cheekbones.

His eyes were a light teal, glinting in amusement and not a small bit of mirth as he continued to stare at her with a shit eating grin on his rather average facial features, "Mind you, not that it's poisonous or anything, but it can cause irritation if touched in most cases."

Startled out of her thoughts, Motoko blinked once, allowing her brain to catch up to what he was talking about before blushing in embarrassment. She hadn't really thought she would get caught like that, "I'm extremely sorry about that Inoichi-san, I did not mean to intrude…" The embarrassed girl muttered, bowing towards the Yamanaka.

"Don't worry about it; just be a bit careful from now on." The mind reader said, putting the potted plant of his on the counter beside the girl's purse. Peeling off the thick leather gloves on his hands, Inoichi extended his large and touch hand across the counter, "Anyhow, I'm Yamanaka Inoichi, and you must be Motoko, the girl my wife hired."

Slightly caught off guard at his way of greeting, Motoko nevertheless took his calloused hand in her own, giving him a nice, congenial shake before letting go. Not that she didn't know what a hand shake was, but it was almost customary to bow instead of shaking hands, "Yes, I'm Aoyama Motoko; it's a pleasure to meet you Yamanaka-san."

"Now, now, Inoichi's fine, formalities always make me feel old." The older Yamanaka smiled, waving off her concern, "Now then, I assume Inoue has shown you around the shop?" He added thoughtfully. While he didn't doubt his wife, she could be slightly forgetful when it came to important little details like that.

Sadly, it seemed that their daughter had inherited that trait.

And speaking of their daughter, he just hoped she was doing okay. Originally, he had been against sending her to the chuunin exam's so soon, after all, she had just graduated from the Academy, but it wasn't as if he really had a say in the matter. From the moment she had put the forehead protector on, the symbol of Konoha and their pride and joy, she had become a tool for the village, a weapon to be used as fit.

Besides, she was with the sons of his two best friends. Chouji, while soft hearted and too kind for his own good was built like a tank, ready to take damage and deal it out just the same. And Shikamaru, that boy was an intellectual genius that would one day surpass his father. He had no doubt in his mind that they would protect his little princess throughout the exam.

'…_Or else.' _He added morbidly.

He may be a shinobi of the Leaf, the strongest shinobi village to grace the continent, he may have killed hundreds in his years of being a shinobi, but before everything else, he was a father. And as a father, he would annihilate any poor soul that so much as dared to touch his daughter.

"Yes, she was quite clear on my duties." Continued Motoko, breaking the man from his thoughts. In fact, she was strangely persistent that she never go to the second and third floors unless specifically told otherwise, almost scarily so. In the end, Motoko had decided to err on the better side of caution and take the words of her boss to heart; it wouldn't do any good to go against her wishes and infuriate a trained kunoichi. Or worse, possibly lose her job.

"Well then, I guess I should get going. I believe I can trust you to handle yourself for the rest of the day?" Inoichi's eyes suddenly flickered up to meet her own indigo orbs, his expression carefully hidden away beneath a pile of detached aloofness. The mind reader continued to stare at her, his eerie blue gaze unflinching as he continued to seemingly stare into her very mind.

More than a little perturbed, Motoko fidgeted slightly for a moment underneath his heavy gaze before nodding resolutely once.

And just like that, the blank visage melted away like so much ice, replaced once again by the happy, outgoing demeanour, "Great! I'll leave you to it then." Inoichi turned, about to walk out the door when he suddenly stopped.

"Oh, and before I forget, a shinobi by the name of Gekkou Genma should be coming by soon to pick up this little plant here." Inoichi said, pointing to the potted plant still sitting inconspicuously on the counter, its deep fuchsia petals gently swaying in the mild wind, "Just make sure he gets it."

"Can do Sir." Motoko replied jokingly, her back ramrod straight as one hand slowly rose to salute the man, a mischievous little smile playing on her luscious lips.

Inoichi just looked at her strangely for a moment or two before his eyes seemed to light up. Closing his blue orbs and shaking his head knowingly, the blonde Yamanaka gave a hearty chuckle before bidding his newest employee a good day and walking out the door. He knew he had made the right choice in hiring her despite her rather close relationship with the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki.

Truly, with Ino away at the Chuunin Selection Exams, he himself having to go out on missions that usually lasted up to days -sometimes _weeks_- at a time, and Inoue being slightly under the weather lately, Motoko was a godsend. The girl was polite, congenial, and quite a beauty to boot, the perfect blend for a person that would soon deal with pushy, rude customers throughout the day.

Then again, he could only let her handle the everyday customers, at least for now while she was still learning the ropes of how to run a business. If she proved capable enough though, he might as well introduce her to the true purpose of their quaint little flower shop. He had a feeling that he could trust her, and feelings for a Yamanaka meant a great deal more than to the ordinary person or even fellow shinobi.

Most people didn't know it, hell, most of his _clan_ didn't know it, but the Yamanaka techniques weren't exactly what they seemed to be on the surface. But the less said about that, the better. In a hidden ninja village, the walls had ears and even the shadows had eyes.

For now, he would let her stick with the everyday, mundane chores; taking care of the cash register, closing up in the end of the day, watering the plants and whatnot. Then, if she proved her worth, he could introduce her to the more… _ninja _prospects of the flower shop.

Back at the shop, Motoko had busied herself with randomly going around and gazing at the hundreds of varieties of flowers adorning the wall, hanging from the ceiling, or merely bunched together into large storage vases while humming a happy little song that she had heard as a child.

Today was truly a good day to be alive. Her carefully hidden fears had been set at ease by that nice medic kunoichi, and now she had an easy, well paying job that would more than take care of any expenses that she had. Smiling jauntily, Motoko picked up a single rose out of the vase in front of her and took a soft whiff of the blood red flower.

Ever since she had been a kid, gardening had been one of her hobbies. There was just something peaceful and relaxing in catering to the needs of something living, something tangible that would otherwise wither away and die in this harsh, cruel world. Watching them bloom every spring, living, breathing things that she had spent countless hours taking care of had been some of the best moments of her life, memories she cherished till this very day.

And now, she got to do it all over again.

The cobalt-eyed teenager couldn't help the ear-splitting grin that popped up onto her face as she continued to randomly roam the isles of flowers, stopping every now and then to look at an especially strange or beautiful breed that caught her eyes. After a few more moments of searching, Motoko stopped as a flash of orange in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Blinking slightly, Motoko turned to her left as she laid her sights on one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen.

Just like almost everything else in the shop, it was just a vase of flowers, but even if she tried, Motoko doubted she could every truly describe them and the raw, unearthly beauty they possessed.

The colors, the shape, the sheer, unbridled magnificence of the flowers were something that was only found in dreams.

"Birds of Paradise…" Motoko quietly muttered to herself as she read the label.

Truly, the flowers were a sight to behold. A long red-orange-green stem protruded from the vase, easily coming up at least three feet from the ground before extending forward at a near ninety degree angle. From there, eight orange-red petals like liquid fire came up from the middle, so much like the feathers of a phoenix while a single tongue-like bud extended forward from in between them.

They eerily reminded her of Naruto-sama; even the name seemed to fit him in an odd sort of way. After all, he always seemed so carefree, so outgoing and light hearted, just like she imagined a bird of paradise, the phoenix of legends would feel, gently floating through the endless nirvana that was the cerulean blue sky.

Hey, now there was a thought. Maybe she should get some for Naruto-sama. He did seem to like plants if the various flowers tossed around his apartment were any indication.

But alas, it wasn't meant to be as Motoko heard the telltale chime of the front door closing. Quickly making her way back to the counter, the cobalt-eyed teenager spied a bandana wearing shinobi, a tooth pick clenched between his teeth and dispassionate brown eyes staring at the flowers situated on the counter.

"Ah, so you must be Motoko-san." The brown-eyed ninja's monotonous voice broke through her thoughts like a sledge hammer as she focused all of her attention on his calm face. She knew for a fact that she had never met this man before, so how the hell did he know her name?

As if reading her thoughts, the shinobi gave her a disarming grin and held up his hands in a placating gesture, the toothpick in his mouth flicking back and forth between his lips, "The names Genma, I just met Inoichi-san outside; he told me he had hired some help so I assumed that was you, unless I was mistaken…" Genma trailed off in the end as he fully turned to look at her. Well, now _that_ would be embarrassing.

However, his fears were assuaged the next moment as the girl in front of him gave him a beaming smile, "No, no, Inoichi-san mentioned that you would be dropping by." Motoko said joyfully while walking behind the counter, "I suppose this is yours?"

"Yup, ordered them in a few days ago though it seems like they just came in today." Genma agreed with a nod and a smile, "So, how much will they be?" He asked, reaching into pocket on his jounin vest and pulling to a large tan wallet.

Taking a few moments to properly work the cash register -while Inoue-san had shown her how it worked, learning something and actually applying that knowledge were to completely different things-, Motoko quickly punched in a few numbers before turning the digital screen towards the jounin, a slightly perturbed expression overtaking her face, "Your total comes to ¥8403.33." Now that was odd, suspiciously so. While Motoko had no experience in the marketing business, she knew for a fact that a bundle of flowers, no matter how rare or how beautiful, was not supposed to cost that much.

But the shinobi in front of her didn't so much as bat an eye at the staggering amount. Instead, he calmly reached into his wallet before taking out a wad of bills and coins, counting out the required amount before handing it to the surprised girl.

Accepting the money, Motoko simply shrugged in response before tallying it all in. Oh well, if the person who was paying for them wasn't worried about the amount, then why should she be? Maybe it was just how much things cost in Konoha.

"There you go. Will there be anything else?" Motoko asked, handing Genma the potted plant.

"No, that's about it, thanks." The jounin said softly, shaking his head. Taking the offered plant, Genma gave her a slight wave with his free hand accompanied with a disarming smile before turning around and walking away, his gait the calm, measured walk of someone completely at ease. Huh, now that was strange, if she didn't know any better, she could have sworn the man looked a little _too_ at ease ever since he had entered the shop.

Whenever she had seen shinobi and kunoichi out on the streets, they always looked tense, rigid even, ready to pounce at the smallest signs of danger to their village. Not that there were many instances in the first place, but every now and then, she would see a team of three genin being led around by their jounin instructor -at least, she assumed the ninja was their jounin instructor-, or even one of those face-less cloaked ANBU that Naruto-sama had told her about, the best of the best the Leaf had to offer.

Idly watching as the automatic sliding doors closed with a small, tingling chime and the forest green jounin vest of the shinobi disappeared around the corner, Motoko seamlessly returned to her earlier exploring of the flower shop. The brightly dispositional adolescent doubted she would be getting that many customers since it was barely past eight o'clock, and it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

After a few moments of aimless wandering, Motoko finally came to her final destination, the small, marked door directly behind the counter, the very door Inoichi had come out of. On the front of the sturdy wooden portal was a small, red sign with the words 'Employee's Only' printed on the surface in bold, white letters. Hmm, so this was the door that probably led to the second and third floors.

Despite the fact that Inoue-san had warned her quite clearly about what would happen if she did in fact defy her orders, Motoko couldn't help but be curious about what lay beyond the forbidden entrance. Humming slightly to herself, Motoko gained a slightly thoughtful expression as she thought of what could be behind the door.

Maybe it was a new type of plant that the Yamanaka had created. It wasn't so farfetched now that she thought about it. Ninja seemed to be able to control the five elements themselves, so what's to say they couldn't control plants? Hell it could even be super plants for all she knew. Flora that could move and fight, just like ninja. Hehe, now _that_ was something she would pay to see.

Abruptly shaking herself from her stupor, Motoko smiled bemusedly to herself while banishing the last of the images of killer plants and fighting flowers from her head. Her friends, the people she thought of as her family had always told her she was too imaginative for her own good, _'Hehe, guess they were right…' _Motoko thought to herself, before lowering her gaze to the grainy countertop.

Unbidden, images of her friends -her _family_, she mentally corrected herself- flashed through her mind, images of her smiling sister in all but blood, the tall, opposing yet happy figure of her self-imposed father, and the friendly faces of her friends. She wondered how they were doing, if they were even worried about her and where she had gone.

Knowing them, they were probably worried sick. It was just her luck something like this had to happen to her after everything seemed to be going so smoothly. Her family had just decided to move to a new village that was being built, looking for a fresh start and they had asked her to join them. Motoko herself didn't know too many details about the village and its inhabitants -and she really didn't care at the time, what with all but crying tears of joy at the prospect-, but it was supposed to be somewhere in Rice Field Country.

Hmm, now there was an interesting thought. Maybe she could go and visit them once Naruto-sama was done with his exam. But until then, she just hoped they were okay. God knows they got into enough mischief and trouble when they were together, who knew what they would end up in without her there to reign them in.

And of course, maybe she could take Naruto-sama with her. Now that would be a dream come true, just the two of them for weeks on end, enjoying each other's company. Maybe they could…

Motoko quickly shook her head to rid herself of her train of thought. It wouldn't do to get distracted -among _other_ things-, especially on the job. So taking a deep breath, the silken haired goddess pushed the last remnants of her thoughts into the deepest recesses of her mind, only to be awakened in the safety and comfort of her own home.

After all, she had all night to plan about introducing Naruto-sama to her family, but for now, she had to work to do.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A few miles away in the heart of the Forest of Death, a fidgeting blonde jinchuuriki stood before the Sandaime Hokage. He had and his teammates, along with the sand genin had just been brought in after waiting for an hour outside, and not a word had been said since.

Every so often he would, he would quickly glance up at the face of his self-imposed grandfather, only to drop his gaze a moment later at the serious, rigid expression on the older man's face. Naruto had only seen that expression on Sarutobi a few times in the past, once when the old man was truly mad at something, like the time when he had been kicked out of the orphanage, or when he was in deep thought.

And while the cerulean-eyed demon host truly doubted it was the former, he couldn't help but feel a pang of nervousness as the cold brown orbs of the Hokage swept over him, taking in every bloodstain, every bruise, and every mostly healed injury. What if he had done something wrong? What if he and his teammates were disqualified from the exam because he went over the fence? He could never forgive himself if he cost his friends -even though he doubted Sakura and _maybe_ Sasuke thought of him as such- the chance to become chuunin.

Towards his left stood his two teammates, just as nervous as him if not more so. At first glance, Sasuke seemed to be his usual brooding self, but even he could see the sheen of cold sweat gracing his self-proclaimed rivals face. Even now, the Uchiha was breathing in quick, gasping breaths, as if in constant pain and every so often, the scion's emotionless visage would twitch into a grimace.

Beside Sasuke stood Sakura, her emerald-green eyes usually filled with determination now overflowing with nervousness. Her entire posture screamed of her insecurities, and every so often, she would take a quick glance at Sasuke, a doubtful expression overtaking her bruised face before she seemed to come to an internal decision. And of course, even the cherry blossom wasn't in the best of shape, her face, usually pristine was marred by large, purple-blue bruises and a thin sheen of sweat coated what was visible of her skin. It wasn't as bad as Sasuke, but still quite noticeable.

Towards his right stood the sand trio, the dispassionate Gaara, a nervous Temari, and a tense Kankuro. The red-headed Suna shinobi didn't seem all that worse for wear after their climatic battle, and that was more than a bit unsettling. That shield of sand that seemed to protect him, not to mention the armour were not abilities to be taken lightly, and Naruto knew that if he ever hoped to defeat the psycho, he had to find a way around both of them.

But that could wait for another time. He had more important matters to deal with right now, such as if his team would even be _allowed_ to participate in the exams after his little stunt.

As if reading the blonde's thoughts, the venerable Hokage cleared his throat to get their attention before focusing his penetrating gaze on the snake jounin in front of him, "That is quite worrisome indeed." The grey haired Hokage's voice penetrated through the near tangible tension through the air as all eyes rested on his weary frame, "As it is, we will discuss what you have brought to attention at a more opportune time Anko. For now, see to it that you get aid from the medical facility available within the tower.

With a small bow towards their leader, Anko gave the six genin a meaningful glance before walking out the door.

Seeing as that was taken care of, Sarutobi Hiruzen refocused his attention on the genin in front of him, or rather, the two jinchuuriki. What Anko had told him, while important, could always be taken care of later. On the other hand, dealing with two demonic entities and their hosts was quite a bit more important in his mind than his traitorous ex-student.

Not only that, but the fact that they had already made contact, while not unprecedented, was cause for quite a bit of worry. Who knew what kind of side effects the Shukaku's container could have on the seal, and by proxy the Kyuubi. Would it bring the nine-tailed fox to the surface, or would it merely cause a number of other just as serious side-effects? Sarutobi would have liked them to meet under more congenial circumstances, but it wasn't as if it could be helped now.

But as he quickly looked over the boy he thought of as a grandson that did not seem to be the cause. Most of Naruto's injuries seemed to be healing nicely -a far cry from the disturbing lacerations Anko had described during her impromptu debriefing-, no doubt an effect of housing the nine-tails, and there was no outward taint of the Kyuubi's corruption, no slit red eyes, no claws for nails, and no pronounced whisker marks.

In contrast, Gaara, as opposed to Naruto's dishevelled and bloody state, looked absolutely fine. Not a single blemish was visible on the Kazekage's son's face, but that said nothing of the madness, while tamed, that freely roamed through the jinchuuriki's sea foam green eyes.

Staring into those dispassionate orbs, Sarutobi felt as if he had been dunked in a tub of frigid ice water. To think, _this_ was that Naruto could have become. The sheer disregard for human life within those orbs, the utter hate for all but himself was staggering. And with the power of the Kyuubi at his beck and call, he doubted the Leaf would be standing right now if Naruto had indeed walked down the path of darkness.

And then there was Sasuke.

He had seen the kind of twisted vengeance that consumed the Uchiha scion's soul many times in his admittedly long life, and he knew, even if Sasuke did in fact complete his goal one day, it would bring him nothing but misery. The hole that had been left by his brother's betrayal could never be filled, it would only continue to fester and grow, and probably the very thing Orochimaru was counting on when he gave the boy his so called 'gift'.

Sarutobi was no fool; he knew why Orochimaru had marked the boy with his curse seal. After all, one of the Snake Sannin's more ambitious goals was to learn all the jutsu in the world. And what better way was there than to use the Sharingan, eyes that could copy any jutsu with naught but a glance?

Bah, as if knowing as many techniques as you could learn would make you powerful. It just went to show how blinded he had been by the genius label. Just because the traitor of a student had learnt a little bit faster than his teammates, just because he had a sharp mind and the attitude of a shinobi, Sarutobi had invested all of his time and effort into grooming Orochimaru. It had been his personal dream to one day bestow the honour of Yondaime Hokage on the Snake Sannin's head. But as a result, he had neglected his other two students. Well, not so much as Tsunade since she had her clan, but Jiraiya had been left completely to his own devices until much later in his genin years.

The Toad Sannin hadn't been a born genius, but just look at where he was know. With nothing but sheer guts and the determination to succeed, Jiraiya had climbed through the ranks of shinobi, becoming one of the most powerful and feared men on the planet. The Sandaime doubted that there was a single shinobi on this continent that could best Jiraiya in battle, himself included. Well, maybe Uchiha Itachi, but that boy was a freak of nature. Barely a teen himself, Itachi had been stronger than most Kage's before he could even properly use a razor.

He knew for a fact that Sasuke could never hope to match up to Itachi, it just wasn't possible. And now that he had been given a curse seal, a supposed gift of power untold by his former student, the last loyal Uchiha would undeniably want more. Sooner or later, the boy would run to the snake for more power, vengeance had too much of a hold on the boy's heart for it to go any other way.

The only question was when?

Nevertheless, he had matters to take care of and nuke-nin to eventually slay, he could get lost in his thoughts later. Right now, he had six chuunin hopefuls to deal with, and he might as well have a little fun at their expense, "Now, what should I do with you three? Given the circumstances, all six of you should be disqualified from the exams for breaching protocol." Gone was the old, grandfatherly man, only to be replaced by the Professor. It wouldn't do well to show anything other than professionalism in front of foreign shinobi, especially the children of the Yondaime Kazekage.

Inwardly smirking at the gaping mouths and tensing bodies -that'll teach them to wake him up so early in the morning-, Sarutobi continued, "But I don't believe I shall do that. In any case, Anko didn't mention that there were in fact boundaries to the exam simply due to the fact that it has never happened before. Therefore, you two cannot be held accountable for breaking a rule you weren't even aware of." He finished calmly, pointedly looking at the two jinchuuriki.

While Gaara seemed as unfazed as ever, Naruto's face had split into a small, happy grin at the prospect of being able to continue to exam. Not his usual grins that forced his eyes closed and showed off more than bit of pointy white teeth, this one was something purer, something much more significant. Better not let the lad get _too_ happy, there was still the prospect of the scrolls.

"That is to say, you will be allowed sanctuary within the tower if you have already acquired the two needed scrolls. If you still need the two scrolls, you will be sent back into the forest for the remainder of the exam." The Sandaime continued, keen eyes watching the blonde for any reaction. Sadly, he wasn't disappointed.

And just like that, the grin vanished only to be replaced with a frown. Off to the side, the lone female of the Sand trio reached into her pouch before pulling out the two needed scrolls, gently placing them on the desk in front of her with a smirk on her face, "I assume these are the scrolls Hokage-sama?"

Frowning slightly, said Hokage nodded faintly before turning his gaze towards Naruto, a slightly questioning look entering his orbs as he regarded his favourite blonde, "And what about you Naruto, do you have the scrolls required?"

Naruto seemed to stare at him for a second, before reaching into his kunai pouch, or rather, what remained of it. The poor, abused thing seemed to be barely holding together. Rummaging around for a few moments and silently praying it hadn't fallen out of one of the giant rips, the demon vessel soon pulled out a blood encrusted Heaven scroll, levelling it in front of the old Hokage with a small wince, "All we have is a heaven scroll Hokage-sama."

Blinking slightly at the honorific -hmm, maybe Jiraiya _was_ teaching the boy something other than jutsu-, the seasoned warrior let out a small sigh of resignation. It looked like they would have to go back into the forest for the other four days after all, "I see. You and your team will be escorted ba-" But the Sandaime was cut off as an Earth scroll was pushed into his field of vision.

"Actually, we have both the Heaven and Earth scrolls Hokage-sama." Uchiha Sasuke's voice rung out through the room as he held the scroll out for the Hokage to see, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched the shocked expression on his blonde teammates face out of the corner of his eyes.

Naruto simply stared at his teammate with an incredulous expression on his face before shaking his head ruefully, the barest hints of a smile visible on his face. It was just like the bastard to come in and save the day at the last second.

"Well then, I guess you six have passed the second stage of the Chuunin Selection Exam." Sarutobi muttered, "Since everything seems to be in order, you six are now free to roam the tower as you please although the forest is now off limits for any and all reasons. Eating and sleeping arrangements will be provided, so you do not have to worry about those."

"Arigato Hokage-sama." Sakura replied, bowing towards the Hokage, the other five genin following suit, although Naruto seemed to be having some trouble. No doubt due to the injuries on his back. Sure, the Kyuubi was supposed to have near instantaneous regenerative abilities, but Naruto wasn't the Kyuubi, it would take time to heal wounds like that.

Once everyone was set and done, the six examinees filed out one by one, the team from Konoha following the one from Suna with Naruto at the end who flashed him a small smile before disappearing.

A moment passed, then two before the Third turned towards the wall on his right, "So, what did you three think?" He said, seemingly speaking towards the empty wall.

A few seconds later, the air rippled in a nauseating, wave-like pattern as the invisibility jutsu vanished and three shinobi emerged from behind its concealed depths.

Jiraiya allowed a thoughtful expression to grace his features as he took a seat around the table beside his sensei, "Well, Naruto doesn't seem too worse for wear; the Kyuubi appears to be doing a good job of healing his injuries. Personally, I'd be more worried about the Uchiha and his little snake hickey."

"There isn't much we can do for him." The Sandaime muttered from his own seat while trying hard to repress a snort of amusement at Jiraiya's choice of words, "There is no known method to remove the seal without killing the person involved. The best we can do is seal it off and hope that the boy doesn't give into its power. In any case, he has already survived the seal, from here on out, the effects to his health won't be too detrimental if he refuses to use it."

"I'll take care of that." Kakashi said as he made his way towards the door, "I should be able to seal off the curse without too much trouble and he should be ready for the exams in a day at the most." And with that, the masked scarecrow walked out the door without another word, closing it behind him with a soft click.

Jiraiya huffed in annoyance at the elite jounin's sudden departure, levelling a glare towards the door while the Sandaime himself had a look of annoyance on his face. Kakashi seemed to be making the same mistake he had made in regards to Orochimaru, preferring to train the one student with talent while ignoring the other two. Just like he had done with Orochimaru, Kakashi refused to see the growing darkness within the boy's heart. He just hoped the Hatake learnt his lesson before his mistake cost him.

"Seems like more than just the villagers are on the Uchiha's bandwagon." The toad Sannin spoke up, a slightly disgruntled tone to his voice, "I don't know what you people saw in them, they were always more trouble than they were worth." While he would never say it out loud, he was glad that Itachi finally went crazy and off'ed the entire clan, just one less problem Konoha as a whole had to deal with.

"While I do agree with you there, they _did_ protect the civilian population of Konoha. Why do you think all the non-ninja's loved them so much?" Hiruzen questioned, looking around to see both shinobi looking towards him, "While ninja have their ANBU, the civilians had the Uchiha Police Force, protector of the weak in a world ruled by the strong, enforcers of the law; that was their job. To the civilians, the Uchiha clan were knights in shining armour."

"I suppose that makes sense." Jiraiya shrugged, yielding to his sensei's point.

Seeing that his once upon a time student understood, Sarutobi continued, "No matter how much we want to believe that all of Konoha is a paradise, we know that's not true. Sure, we have a fully functional shinobi force to take care of all internal and external conflict, but even they can't be everywhere. That's where the Uchiha came in. They dealt with the things where the skill set of a ninja wasn't required, the daily thugs, criminals, and rapists, the lowest of the low."

And with that, the entire room was blanketed within easy silence. Some of the most powerful shinobi in all of Konoha were in this room, and each one of them was thinking of the upcoming future. For one, Orochimaru had finally made his move after nearly twelve years of inactivity, but why? Why would he show himself like this, where an entire village would be put on alert and after the slightest trace of him? If the snake was truly after the Sharingan, wouldn't it have simply been better to mark Sasuke while he was on a mission? Something told the Sandaime that there was more to this than met the eye.

Secondly, why would Suna send their only jinchuuriki for a Chuunin Exam in an allied nation? Sure, they were nothing more than a cover to showcase the strength of each hidden village, but why a demon vessel, especially one as unstable as Gaara appeared to be. It would make sense that they would keep their supposed weapon close to their village.

"So, what do you two think of the two jinchuuriki?" Both Jiraiya and Sarutobi turned, slightly surprised, to face the final member of their little trio. Tenzou had been nothing more than a silent observer up until now, so it was a tad surprising to hear him speak up so suddenly.

Both Hokage and Sannin pondered the question for a moment before the younger of the two spoke up, "Naruto seems to be doing well, somewhat surprising considering what he's been through, but that Suna boy, Gaara, leaves a lot to be desired. I haven't seen a more unstable host since the Third Great Shinobi War."

Both the Sandaime and Tenzou winced at that. Both of them had seen the vessels during that time -having participated in the war-, nothing more than bloodthirsty demons given human form. There had been no humanity within those lifeless husks, just untold amounts of demonic power that slowly ate away at what remained of their soul. To think that the Sand would be so desperate as to resort to such a barbaric practice for more power.

"But it isn't the boy's fault." Jiraiya continued, getting a raised eyebrow from the Third and a sharp look from the ANBU, "A few days after the sealing, I was… _persuaded _by the Kazekage to take a look at the seal." He finished with a smirk.

Sarutobi's eyebrow twitched at the emphasis on 'persuaded'. He had no doubt in his mind that whatever they had given the letch, it involved women, lots and lots of women. Then again, he couldn't say that without sounding like a hypocrite.

But the smirk soon left the Sannin's face as his eyes clouded over in thought, the barest bits of sadness visible in his aged eyes, "Turns out that whenever the kid went to sleep, the Ichibi no Shukaku would emerge. No matter what they used, sleeping pills, genjutsu, seals, you name it, the end result was always the same. The one-tailed demon would emerge, wreck havoc, and finally dispel itself once the amount of energy it was using began to eat away at the child's body."

"So what did you find was wrong with the seal?" Hiruzen questioned. His intel was sorely limited concerning the other jinchuuriki out there, and it was always a good idea to keep close tabs on shinobi that wielding such tremendous power.

"Not a thing." Jiraiya said, frowning slightly as he recalled the event.

At both the Sandaime and Tenzou's surprised look, the sage nodded, "Yup, not a damn thing was wrong with the seal. Rather, it's because of the way the demon was sealed."

Tenzou blinked, a confused look appearing on his unmasked face, "The way he was sealed? How would that even make a difference?"

Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully, taking a moment to properly remember all the details before beginning, "From what I gathered during my investigation, the way the seal was set up was to chain the Ichibi to Gaara's _body_ -not his soul like most jinchuuriki that exist today- before he was even born. And while this allowed Gaara to channel a _lot_ more of the tanuki's power and yokai since the demon isn't as tightly bound and much more readily accessible, it also allows the bijuu to exert more control over Gaara in return."

Easily seeing the upcoming questions, Jiraiya gave the jounin a pointed stare, warning him not to interrupt before he could even open his mouth, "I said they sealed it within his body because that's exactly what they did. Using the same jutsu they had used to seal the demon into the tea kettle fifty years prior, they sealed the demon into Gaara, unmindful of the consequences. By today's sealing standards, that's completely barbaric. Even the most inhumane of today's fuinjutsu bind the demon to the host's soul, a much safer alternative. After all, a human body is fragile, easily corrupted by the tiniest of things while the soul is infinite, allowing for a much, _much_ stronger seal. Then again, since the demon is that much more secure, the amount of power that can be drawn is also drastically cut."

And with that, Jiraiya leaned back, the slightly disgusted look on his face easily visible to the trained eyes of the shinobi. Of course, to a seal master such as Jiraiya, the seal was probably nothing more than a reminder of all that was wrong with his chosen arts.

Sarutobi hummed attentively, taking a small puff of his pipe before speaking, "That would make sense. The Hidden Sand has the lowest shinobi population compared to all of the other hidden villages, so they would intentionally try to make their weapon as strong as possible." Stopping for a moment, he smirked, "Although knowing them, I doubt they knew the ramifications of what they were even doing."

Turning serious, the Hokage left off from where his student had stopped, "Going by what Jiraiya said, it seems that for as long as Gaara is awake, the seal, aided by his willpower and resolve will keep the demon at bay. But as soon as the poor boy falls asleep, the Ichibi can bypass the seal since Gaara isn't physically holding him back."

No wonder the jinchuuriki was half-mad with insanity. Humans needed sleep; no ifs, ands or buts about it. Not only did it allow the body to heal and rest, the brain used the time to sort through all of the information it had received throughout the course of the day. Without it, the neural pathways between each individual cell would eventual begin to overload and shut down from the strain. To think that a boy no older than twelve had forced himself to stay awake for only Kami knows how long.

In the end, it didn't matter how powerful the seal was; the demon would always be lurking just below the surface simply due to the fact that the container wasn't strong enough. After all, no matter how strong the lock is, if the very thing it keeps closed it fragile, it won't make much of a difference in the long run.

Lost in his thoughts, the Sandaime let out a despondent sigh, slightly shaking his head in lament as he pondered over what he had learnt, _'Truly, the boy is not something to be feared, he is to be pitied. To think one's own father would stoop so low as to curse his son with such a fate.' _ For as long as Gaara stayed awake, the demon would wait, biding its time day by day for just the right chance to pounce when the boy dropped his guard. That was Gaara's destiny, to forever be overshadowed by the fear of his demon.

All three shinobi were lost in thought for the next few moments, Jiraiya thinking about the present, Sarutobi the past, and Tenzou the jinchuuriki when the oldest of the three let out a small chuckle of mirth. Absent-mindedly wiping at his eyes good naturedly, the other two jounin were surprised to find a small, ironic smile gracing the wizened Hokage's wrinkled visage, "Those two, Gaara and Naruto, they are alike in so many ways, it's absolutely frightening if you put any thought into it."

Jiraiya shrugged tiredly, pouring himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table before reclining back, "I guess you could say that. Both are the legacies turned weapons of their respective Kage's, but whereas our Hokage sacrificed himself because of his love for his village, the Kazekage sacrificed his own wife for power and look where it got him."

Beside him, Sarutobi frowned slightly at the 'weapon' label but said nothing in response. As much as he hated to admit it, that was exactly what Naruto was, a weapon forged for the tree that was Konoha, even if unintentionally. Sooner or later, the young Uzumaki was going to have to face that fact, he just hoped he was alive to help him through it when it happened.

"But that does raise the question." Tenzou muttered, carefully looking around the room at its others occupants, "Why didn't Naruto turn out like Gaara?"

At their incredulous looks, he quickly went to reassure them, "I mean, not that I'm not grateful, but from what I can tell, their situations weren't all that different…"

Sarutobi simply smiled in response. He had been expecting that from Tenzou sooner or later. After all, before all else, the man was an ANBU, it was his job be wary of any and all possible threats to his village, both inside and out, "Naruto's love for the people he cares about knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope. For as long as he has something to cherish with all his being, something to protect with his very life within Konoha's wall, his love for the very village that hates him will outlast anything that is thrown its way."

Jiraiya smiled back, a proud, confident glint shining in his eyes as his sensei praised his student, "Never took you for a poet sensei." Said sensei merely shot him a mock glare, the smoke from his pipe curling listlessly around the crevices of his weathered face, disappearing into the warm summer air.

"I read more than just your books Jiraiya-chan. After all, something needs to keep these withered old bones from dying with boredom in the office." The Third retorted back, smirking.

Pouting like a petulant child, the Toad Sannin crossed his arms across his broad chest while Tenzou looked on in amazement and Sarutobi laughed, his voice tinged with just the barest bits of melancholy as images of the past bombarded his mind.

Those had been the good old days, times where he had been nothing more than a teacher to three brats, Tsunade the princess, Orochimaru the genius, and Jiraiya the pervert. Life had been so much simpler back then, but who was he to complain? Most of the headaches he had now were caused by mistakes he had made back then.

Snapping out of his reminiscing, Sarutobi shook his head ruefully. Leave it to him to get lost in his thoughts when there was work to be done. Taking a quick glance at the digital clock embedded in the wall -which read ten o'clock-, Hiruzen rose from his seat with a grace that belied his age, "In any case, it seems that I should be going, the duties of a Hokage won't take care of themselves."

Taking it as their dismissal, both Tenzou and Jiraiya rose as one, the former reattaching his mask with one fluid motion, bowing towards his leader whereas the Sannin simply nodded in his direction, "Remember to take it easy ape-face; wouldn't want to see you hurt yourself because you tried to do something you couldn't."

And with that, the self-proclaimed pervert disappeared in a puff of smoke, most likely heading towards the nearest hot spring to catch up on his research while Naruto was still preoccupied with the exam. Shaking his head in resignation, the aged shinobi resolved to get his student back for that last barb the next time they met. For now, he had other matters to take care of, "Tenzou, I would like you to stick around while the exam's take place, I have a feeling we will have need for your abilities sometime in the near future." While he didn't doubt his shinobi's abilities, Tenzou's special 'talent' may come in handy when it came time to resolve any issues with Suna's jinchuuriki that may occur with as little conflict as possible.

"It will be done as you command Hokage-sama." Tenzou replied, seamlessly slipping into the ANBU mindset. Seeing as he had nothing else to do, the jounin formed as half-ram seal, cool blue chakra swirling through his coils as he vanished within a cyclone of leaves and wind.

'_That takes care of our jinchuuriki problem, now all that's left is Orochimaru.'_ The Sandaime's countenance darkened visibly as he thought of his traitorous ex-student. Shaking off his dark mood, Sarutobi promised himself, the next time he met his student would be the last, for better or for worse. Either the snake would meet his end at his hands, or he would die trying. It was time he manned up to the mistake that he had made so long ago.

His love for his student had held him back from striking him down before, but next time, he would be ready.

But before that, he had to find out what the slippery snake was planning. Knowing him, it would only lead to disaster for Konoha and all those involved, and with the Chuunin Exam Final's coming up in a month; the village's defences would be at its weakest. An opportune time to strike for any enemy of the great Tree that was Konoha.

There were so many things happening in the ninja world. A new minor hidden village was supposedly being established in Rice Field country, Orochimaru had shown himself after nearly twelve years of hiding in the shadows, and a jinchuuriki had been sent to a _foreign_ Chuunin Exam for the first time since the Third Great Shinobi War. Each of these events warranted suspicion, the fact that they all happened in the same time frame only made it worse.

Looking out the window and into the vast heavens that shadowed the world, Sarutobi mouthed a small prayer to any being that was willing to listen. He just hoped that whatever happened, the Will of Fire that had been bestowed upon the Kings of Konoha would triumph over all those that opposed it.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Elsewhere in the tower, the blonde jinchuuriki walked down the seemingly endless hallways as he looked for a room to rest in, each and every step leaving a small imprint of blood on the pristine white tiles. Damn it, his wounds had opened again, probably because of that bow. Then again, it wasn't as if he could just leave, not only would it have been disrespectful, it was downright foolish in the presence of foreign shinobi.

His two teammates had left him almost as soon as the Hokage had dismissed them. Well, it was more like Kakashi-sensei had come out of nowhere, whisking Sasuke away with a few words while Sakura had gone to the cafeteria, claiming to want something to eat before she retired for the day.

Yawning slightly into his hand, Naruto rubbed at his eyes absent-mindedly, trying to chase away the inevitable as he went over his time in the Forest of Death. Without a doubt, that had been the single hardest challenge he had ever faced in his life bar none. Even the C-rank turned A-rank mission to Wave hadn't been this exhausting. Between the written exam, the Forest of Death, and later on his battle with Gaara, he hadn't slept a single wink in the past twenty-six hours.

At least now he would be able to catch up on some much needed sleep for the next few days. Now if he could just _find_ the damn rooms.

A few more moments of fruitless searching and a flight of spiralling stairs later, the blonde let out a triumphant yell as he found the proper wing in the upper portion of the tower. It was nothing more than a rather massive, circular area with parallel, forest green doors spanning the entire length of the room. In turn, the doors were labelled with a single number inside of the Konoha symbol and a jet-black metallic plate, some having already been inscribed with the names of various genin.

There weren't that many decorations from what he could see, just a painting or two on the far side of the circular wall in front of him where the room split up into opposite stairs and an odd plant hanging from the wall at random intervals. Surprisingly, everything looked neat and tidy; they had probably just built this place in preparation for the exams.

Quickly pushing open one of the unmarked doors, the possessed genin walked into the rather Spartan room, slipping off his shoes in the process. The room itself was rather wide and open all things considered, although it did seem to have a slightly confined feeling, probably due to there being no windows whatsoever. A single, twin sized bed was in the far right corner covered in plain white sheets next to a nightstand, a digital alarm clock happily sitting on top.

Now, he could either go looking for the bathroom and showers -if they even had any in the first place- so he could get cleaned up or he could go to sleep and worry about it later.

Spending a total of two seconds thinking, Naruto shrugged tiredly, throwing of his tattering shirt and vest before pitching forward and hitting the cushiony pillow face first. Raising his hands into a seal, a single **Kage Bunshin** exploded into existence.

Looking down at his creator, the clone winced slightly at the cracked and bleeding scars running down the original's back, "You look like hell boss…" The cloned muttered quietly. Thank god injuries weren't transferred over to them; those wounds looked like they hurt.

The original Naruto, face still muffled by the pillow slightly turned his head to the side, one bleary, bloodshot blue eye blinking open to glare at the other blonde, "Yeah, yeah, very funny, just go put our name on the damn door and do whatever the hell you guys do after you're gone." Watching as the bunshin left to do its chore, the blonde jinchuuriki slightly raised himself up onto his arms before climbing further into the bed, a soft sigh of contentment escaping his lips as he sank into the soft material.

A few seconds later, the clone came back, having finished his assigned task. Spying his creator on the bed, the bunshin stared at him for a moment before poking him in the side.

Naruto didn't even twitch a muscle.

Shrugging slightly, the clone pulsed what little chakra it had been given, ending his connection with the physical world and disappearing in a puff of chakra laden smoke.

Oblivious to all, Naruto continued to sleep, lost in a world of dreams and demons.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A pair of frost-green eyes, soulless and haunted traced the blonde jinchuuriki's movements as he disappeared into the room, the deep green door closing behind him. Scowling slightly, Gaara made his way into the circular room and towards one of the empty rooms, the twin footsteps of his siblings hesitantly following in his shadow.

Having spent the majority of her life with her unstable jinchuuriki of a brother, Temari could easily see the unease floating around in his green orbs, a subdued sort of madness, different from the raging insanity brought on by the Shukaku's mental whispers. Now that she thought about it, it was exactly like that time in the Forest of Death when they had been confronted by those two ANBU and the examiner, whatever had caused Gaara to calm down there was here, somewhere in the building.

Oh well, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Whatever it was, she was glad for it, although it did bring another problem to the surface. Before, all they had to worry about was Gaara snapping and killing everyone in the room, but now, he seemed almost contemplative, thoughtful if you will, and truthfully, Temari didn't know which frightened her more. The deranged, mad with power Gaara, or the thoughtful, intelligent demon.

Turning to look towards Kankuro, Temari quietly spoke up; eyes trained on the blood red hair of her younger sibling as he disappeared into the room a head of them, "What do you thinks wrong with him?" Maybe Kankuro knew something about what was going on, although she didn't put too much hope into it.

"Besides the usual?" Kankuro retorted lightly. At Temari's silent glare, the puppet user shrugged, weary eyes focused on the large brown gourd situated on Gaara's back, "How the hell should I know? Though if I had to guess, he's probably thinking about how he's going to kill that blonde brat. All I know is that I'm staying the hell away from him until we get back to Suna." And with that, the puppeteer quickly found an unmarked door before disappearing into its depths with a slight wave.

To his knowledge, Temari had a slight bit more compassion towards their brother's plight than he did, particularly when he seemed more of the demon inside of him than human. To her, knowing that she could do nothing to ease his pain during his time of need upset her immensely. Here was a member of her family, her younger _brother_, being eaten from within by a demon put there by her father and she could do nothing about it.

Oh well, it wasn't his problem to deal with. All he wanted to do was take a small nap, work on his puppets before the exam began, and after reducing this village to a worthless pile of timber and wood, head back to Suna. It wasn't as if he had anything against Konoha, but whatever the Kazekage ordered got done.

Besides, he wasn't too worried about getting out of here alive. With Gaara on their side, he doubted there was a leaf nin in this village that could defeat them. Sure, there was the freakishly strong blonde kid in the forest -at least for a genin-, but Gaara hadn't even been trying against him. He knew that once Shukaku came out, nothing short of another demon could defeat their brother, and what were the chances of a peace loving village such as Konoha harbouring a demon, the very instruments of death and destruction?

And with that, Kankuro let himself drift off to the land of dreams, secure in his knowledge that Gaara, and by proxy their village was unbeatable.

Back outside, the fan wielding kunoichi let out a despondent sigh before finding herself her own room. It wasn't as if Kankuro didn't care about Gaara -quite the opposite in fact-, it was just that he liked to keep his distance, not wanting to incur the sand user's wrath. Who knew what Gaara might do in one of his moments of insanity, especially when he was as unhinged from reality as he seemed to be today.

And she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the blonde kid was to blame.

Unbidden, images of a blonde and red missile flying through the night sky assaulted her mind, and Temari had to force down a visible shudder. Never before had she seen any touch Gaara, let alone get close enough to grab him and here was a genin younger than her matching her demonic brother blow for blow. Granted, they were not surrounded by a desert, a place where Gaara's abilities could be fully appreciated, but still, it was no laughing matter.

Sooner or later, those two were going to meet again, and while she knew the boy stood no chance once Gaara got serious, she was going to be as far away from them as physically possible.

With another despondent sigh -she seemed to be doing that a lot lately, she noted humourlessly-, Temari quietly made her way back towards the spiralling staircase after scribbling her name onto the door beside Gaara's, intent on getting some food into her stomach before hitting the bed. Maybe she'd feel better after eating something other than dry, tasteless ration bars and stale water.

'_Bah, and maybe Gaara will become Kazekage once we go back to Sand.'_ The wind mistress cynically reprimanded herself, her thoughts returning to the battle between her brother and that Naruto brat in the forest.

It had been a miracle that Gaara hadn't been injured in that fall that would kill most ninja, most likely due to his nearly impenetrable sand armour; otherwise she was sure the Ichibi would have made an appearance and she honestly doubted the Leaf would let them continue the exam if they couldn't even control their own jinchuuriki.

And of course, failing the exam meant ruining the plans the Kazekage had made for the final round, and that was one thing Temari had no notion of doing. Even though the man may have been her father, he was a Kazekage first and foremost, not to mention what a man like Orochimaru might do to her.

Even as powerful as Gaara may have been, a jinchuuriki that made the Kazekage himself pause, she doubted he could stand up to the Snake Sannin, the most infamous of the three legendary ninja. As far as she was concerned, dealing with a man like him was just asking for trouble, but it wasn't as if she could say anything against it. So in return, she had made it a personal mission of hers to keep Gaara safe, and above all, in control, at least until the invasion.

Until then, she would keep him safe, and most of all, relatively sane. It was the most she could do after failing him both as a sister and as family.

Back in his own little corner of the world, the very object of her thoughts was sitting on the sizable bed, midnight ringed eyes closed in thought and a small, thoughtful frown gracing his pale complexion, a stark contrast to the usual detachment.

Being calm and controlled may have not been his forte, but meditation had become a near welcomed habit for Gaara.

Every once in a while, he would simply sit at home, eyes closed and all but dead to the world around him. Since he couldn't really sleep without the Shukaku coming to the surface, it was the best he could do to relax his fractured mind. Sometimes, with enough concentration, he could even block off the demon's presence for short periods of blissful silence. Then again, it was really needed right now, since the Ichibi's rampant screams for blood and death were nothing more than a distant and unpleasant memory at best.

Ever since he had entered the tower, he had felt a… _presence_, a force_. _There was no other name for it; it had washed over him like a wave, flittering through the cobwebs that were the remnants of his mind uncontrolled, soothing yet strangely disturbing, almost threatening in the power behind it yet barely visible to even his trained senses.

He didn't know where it was coming from, but there could only be one reason, _he_ was here, the very same shinobi that had met them outside of the forest, the one that had cowed even the raging demon inside of him.

And for the first time in his life, his mind felt whole, his thoughts smooth and efficient. It was so much easier to think now, to simply sit down and focus on what was important without the one-tailed tanuki's own thoughts and feelings mingling with his own, threatening to take control at the barest sign of weakness.

He would leave the mysterious shinobi alone for now, while he was still of some use. Besides, by the end of the month, the shinobi, along with the rest of Konoha would be nothing more than a passage in the history books of the world, a forgotten village razed to the ground by the anger of a demon. They would feel his pain, his loneliness and hatred, and in return, his existence will flourish underneath the rain of scarlet blood that fell from the sky.

In any case, he had more important things to worry about now that he could actually think straight. With naught but a thought, the face of a blonde haired genin, matted with blood and sweat with eyes that shone like sapphire diamonds rose from the sea of memories that dwelled within his mind. The encounter from hours prior replayed through his mind's eye, each and every detail visible.

Never before had he felt such desperation against an opponent, never before had his sand failed him as it had done against a boy not a year older than him. Entire squadron of jounin with years' worth of skill had fallen before him like wheat in front of a farmer's scythe. Battle hardened shinobi with years, if not decades of experience stood no chance against him, so how could this boy, a genin, have touched him, caused him to feel pain?

But if that wasn't enough, he had done something that was unforgivable in the jinchuuriki's eyes, something that no mortal had done before.

He had made him bleed.

And for that, he would kill Uzumaki if it was the last thing he did, he would drain each drop of blood from his worthless husk as he begged for mercy. The blood he had spilt would be returned a thousand fold; Gaara would make sure of it.

Getting up from his bed with all the grace of a languid racoon, Gaara threw off his gourd before walking to stand in the middle of his room. He wouldn't need it for what he was about to do. Raising his right hand into a half ram seal, a pulse of chakra, controlled and unnatural, ran throughout his body as tiny grains of sand began to rain down his frame, the impenetrable armour of Shukaku releasing its hold bit by bit with every passing second.

Ever so slowly, the tiny grains of earth fell away from his arms, revealing the angry red tears running down the length of the left, bleeding crimson anew as the sand fell away. Desert brown chakra crackled along the surface of the skin as more sand came up to staunch the slow flow of scarlet liquid.

The pain was nothing more than a small sensation in the back of his mind now, but he would never forget that one instant when the chain-link fence had first torn through his flesh, that one, indescribable moment of agony where nothing else in the world mattered but the pain hammering its way through his mind.

Uzumaki Naruto would pay with his life, and no force, earthly or otherwise, would stop him.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on your viewpoint, that damnable shinobi had shown up, the very same that was now hiding somewhere close to him, but just barely out of reach. If it hadn't been for that man and his otherworldly power to calm the raging tanuki -and numb the pain in the process- demanding the blood of the one that had hurt him, Uzumaki would have been nothing more than a crimson stain on the grass by now.

But for now, his vengeance would have to wait. Allowing the sand to return to his gourd, Gaara let out a slow, long breath, struggling to reign in the bloodlust and insanity that had nothing to do with the demon that dwelled within him before slowly opening his eyes, twin pools of forest green overtaken with desert yellow, "I promise you Uzumaki Naruto, even if the Leaf doesn't fall, your blood will bathe her land crimson."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hatake Kakashi looked down at his work before nodding tightly, quietly pleased with himself. Sure, it had taken a long time, and the amount of blood he had lost was nothing to sneeze at, but the seal was finally ready. Now all he had to do was activate the damn thing and hope it didn't blow up in his face.

"Alright Sasuke, I need you to be perfectly still while I activate the jutsu and seal off the curse mark." The elite jounin spoke up, carefully kneeling around the markings on the ground. Making sure the blood imbued ink was relatively dry, the ninja scarecrow raised his right hand before carefully placing it on a single part of the large, circular seal spanning the area of the room, cool blue chakra slowly gathering in the palm of his hand.

In the center of the runic circle with nothing but a pair of shorts on to ward off the near unnatural chill, Uchiha Sasuke nodded tersely, the slight tightening of his jaw the only indication of the anger and resentment simmering just below the surface.

He finally had the power he needed to avenge his clan, to kill his brother, and here was his sensei, the very man that had promised to make him strong enough to achieve his dream sealing away that power. The fact that the fuinjutsu needed to seal off his curse was this large only added salt to the wound. It _proved_ to him that whatever it was, it was powerful.

And now he was going to lose it.

However, before he could further ponder the loss of such power, a small cry of, "Fuin!" rang throughout the chamber-like room, followed by bright, nearly blinding flash of light before his world exploded in pain.

It felt like his skin was on fire, and despite himself, Sasuke reared his head back and let out a scream of pain. This wasn't a type of pain he could just shrug off; it was unlike anything he had ever felt like before. The raw, burning sensation that slowly flowed down his neck and throughout the rest of his body making him ache in ways he never thought possible.

After what seemed like time immemorial, the pain finally stopped and the Uchiha scion sagged in relief, every last bit of energy sapped from his aching body. You knew the pain was horrible when instead of feeling relief for its end; all you could feel was a disconnected sort of numbness, as if all your nerves had been frayed by the rush of neural activity.

Beside him, his sensei crouched down to inspect the new seal, letting out a thoughtful hum while stroking his masked chin in the process, "Well, it _looks_ like everything is in order, but I didn't think it would hurt that much. From the way you were screaming, people would think you were dying or something."

Crimson red eyes dotting with two tomoe each snapped open to glare at him with utter hatred, the dual tomoe spinning lazily in each orb before obsidian overtook scarlet as Sasuke forced himself to calm down. No, he wouldn't let this man get a rise out of him; it was unbecoming of an Uchiha, especially one of his stature.

"Hn, just hurry up and give me my clothes." Sasuke replied towards the smiling scarecrow. Grabbing the offered clothes, he silently slipped them on, the unnerving eye of Kakashi following his every movement. Finally get tired of the stare; the last loyal Uchiha whirled around, facing his instructor, "So what now? I'll be allowed to participate in the exam right?"

"Yup, you'll be allowed to continue the exam." Kakashi said happily, his single visible eye curling into the half moon crescent shape before he snapped it open, an underlying sort of seriousness overtaking his features, "But make no mistake Sasuke, you _will_ be taken out if you use that mark. Now that it's been sealed, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but the jutsu used to seal it requires your willpower to work. If you don't _want_ to use it, it will hold, but the second you give into its power, my seal will break and you will be disqualified, understand?"

Sasuke, understanding the seriousness of the situation simply nodded tersely. He wasn't all too happy about having his power sealed off, but for the sake of becoming chuunin, he would agree to it…for now. Besides, when he finally got promoted, he could accept harder missions and become only stronger.

And just like that, the slight tension that permeated the air vanished as Kakashi eye-smiled, "Now then, why don't you get something to eat and head to bed while I get things cleared around here?" He knew for a fact that sealing jutsu hurt like hell, especially ones that were so interwoven with a person's chakra pathways.

Without sparing a glance towards his sensei, Sasuke walked back the way they had come and up the spiralling staircase, intent on getting some food to eat before hitting the sack. A few moments passed in complete silence, only the echoing sound of footsteps ringing through the stairwell when a ripple of pain radiated from the seal, causing the Uchiha to grasp at his neck and gasp.

Stumbling slightly, Sasuke fell back against the wall, black-white stars dancing across his swimming vision and breath coming out in short, quick gasps. His legs felt like leaden jelly, unmoving and dead even as his heart pounded away within the confines of his chest with painful irregularity.

'_Wh… What the hell's wrong with me!?' _Sasuke thought, panic and dread seeping through his pain hazed mind as he turned to look at the scalding seal on his neck. His eyes widened at the sight of the three comma-like marks of his gift glowing a fiery orange-red, a ring of archaic symbols, blue and unyielding, trying relentlessly to hold back the onslaught of power.

Chakra, cool and refined flew through the ring of symbols, the seal of his sensei, as Sasuke tried to push past the pain, tried to keep the curse under control even as his consciousness yelled at him to simply let go, to bask in the power that he so needed, wanted and above all deserved.

For a moment, the curse seal seemed to be winning, the newly applied fuinjutsu quivering under the force of the evil mark, powerful and unstoppable. Sasuke, seeing as he was losing the battle, both figuratively and literally, let out a strangled gasp of pain and with a supreme force of will, pushed back the viral seal back into its confinement even as every fibre of his being told him otherwise.

Silence descended upon the genin, his shoulders heaving from the effort as he simply sat there, content to let the pain radiating through his neck and spine fade away before he even tried to move. Images of his battle with Orochimaru of the Sannin replayed through his mind, of his failure to even harm the strange shinobi, his nails shredding red slashes across his palms and teeth exposed in an angry scowl. He had been brought to his knees against the shinobi, and once again, he was brought to his knees by the very shinobi's seal.

What was _wrong _with him, why was he was still so pathetically _weak_.

Itachi had been an ANBU captain by the time he was thirteen, an _ANBU_ _captain_, the elite of the elite while he was still here, trying to become a chuunin. He was getting nowhere while Itachi continued to live, continued to cause misery while the souls of his family cried out for vengeance, for the death of their betrayer, the one they had considered family.

Getting up from his spot against the wall, Sasuke slowly made his way up the stairs; eyes ablaze with anger and palms bleeding anew at the memories. What he needed was someone that would teach him, someone that would give him as much power as he desired. Sure, Kakashi taught him, showed him new techniques but it wasn't enough, it was never enough. What he needed was raw, untameable, _overwhelming_ power, enough to crush his brother like the insignificant bug he was.

Another spasm of pain -although infinitely less intense than before- surged through the seal and the image of poisonous yellow eyes, slits for pupils and a pale, deranged face flashed through his mind's eye, fangs bared like a content cobra and dripping with venom.

"_I can see the power in your eyes, power great enough to surpass Itachi. All it needs to come out is a simple push, one which I am more than willing to provide."_

A small frown flittered across Sasuke's face, thoughtful obsidian eyes unseeing as he continued to ponder his situation, the last words he had heard from Orochimaru replaying over and over again within his mind. Orochimaru of the Sannin, he was no ordinary shinobi, even an Academy student would have been able to tell you that much. The power he had shown against him, a power that would even make his legendary sensei, the Copy-Nin Hatake Kakashi quake in fear; _that_ was what he needed.

The raven haired Uchiha stilled, eyes widening in contemplation as his sharp intellect went into overdrive, reviewing the dozens of new possibilities that this revelation presented. Now _there_ was an interesting thought. Orochimaru had given him power, freely and without any thought of something in return. What's to say he couldn't give him more? The curse seal was a perfect example of what could be his, and while it had been sealed off, he could still remember the chakra it had granted him, the uncomprehending fear in his opponents' eyes as they had beheld a force they could do nothing against, nothing except perish.

But to do what he was thinking would require thought, time, and above all, careful planning. He was Konoha's precious Uchiha, the last of the noble line of warriors, a tragic prince in all but name. If he were to suddenly disappear, the Hokage would have his ANBU turn the village upside down trying to find him. And if they ever found out he was willingly going to one of Konoha's most notorious missing ninja's, well, he was sure the results wouldn't be pretty.

Nevertheless, that could wait for now. He was still the strongest genin in the Leaf; he was still getting trained by a famous ninja, the last user of the Sharingan within the village. He had no need for Orochimaru right now, and with the way things were going, he wouldn't need him for a long, long time. Besides, when the time came, he would make his choice, for better or for worse.

And in the end?

Sasuke smirked; eyes alight with visions of the future, of his brother dead at his feet, his clan avenged.

Power _would_ be his.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi watched as the last of the embroidered Uchiha clan crest disappeared around the corner, his single visible eyes tensing in the darkness as he turned back around, "I know you're there, so you might as well come out." As if following his command, a dark, serpentine figure rose out from the shadows, barely a foot across and Kakashi tensed, fearful anticipation clawing its way through his body. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he didn't stand a chance against this man even on the best of days, but he would be damned if he let anything happen to his students.

The ashen-pale snake reared its head, red eyes gleaming and focused on the Copy-Nin, "I must say I'm surprised Kakashi-kun, to think you can already use fuinjutsu." Its voice was like molten ash, smooth and clear, untainted.

Regarding the white snake with no small amount of trepidation, Kakashi hesitantly heaved an internal sigh of relief, the stark white fear that had been beginning to build in the pit of his stomach slowly withering away, _'Thank Kami it's just a summon, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous.'_ After all, the summoner himself couldn't be that far away from the summoned.

"Why are you here Orochimaru, it can't be just to say hello." Kakashi muttered. Silently congratulating himself on keeping his voice calm and even, the one-eyed scarecrow continued, "After your little stunt in the forest of death, all the ANBU in the village are out there looking for you."

Orochimaru merely smirked, poisonous serpentine eyes glinting with amusement, "Now, now Kakashi, do you really think that Sharingan of yours will help you against me?" Ignoring the slight tightening around Kakashi's eye, the Snake Sannin went on, "Besides, you already have one for yourself, would you really deny me what you already have?"

"So you want something from Sasuke after all." The snake seemed to grin, fangs that couldn't be human flashing incandescent as a strange high pitched noise echoed through the room. It was disturbingly like nails on a chalkboard.

"Yes, you could say I want something from Sasuke-kun." The summoned animal slithered forward, serpentine tongue flickering out towards the remnants of the ink on the ground, tasting the blood within with glee, "But I'd be more concerned with what he could want from _me_."

Kakashi tensed, small bolts of lightning crackling blue-white over the metallic plate of his gloved hand as he crouched, "What do you mean he could want something from you?" Did Orochimaru have something Sasuke wanted, or maybe he took something from the Uchiha compound and Sasuke wanted it back?

The summon seemed to laugh, that same high pitched whine issuing forth, "It seems that despite that Sharingan eye of yours, you're still blind to what is in front of you." The leathery skin of the creature's face appeared to stretch, twisting into a mockery of a smile and Kakashi had the distinct feeling that he was being mocked, "Sasuke-kun's heart desires one thing above all else, and that is power; power to kill his brother, power to avenge his clan, and power to achieve his ambition."

The smile seemed to stretch, becoming something cruel, something savage and not all quite human, "Power that I can _give_."

"He will come to me, no matter how hard you try to convince him otherwise, Sasuke-kun will seek me out like a moth does a flame." The snake muttered happily, slowly slipping away into the shadows that surrounded them, its eyes nothing more than twin jewels of ruby red amongst darkest black, "And there is _nothing_ you can do about it."

Kakashi waited with baited breath as the summoned animal disappeared before releasing a sigh of relief. Now that had been close, he had no idea what he would have done if Orochimaru himself had shown up.

'_Not like there would have been much I could have done in the first place.' _ The man was a Sannin for Kami's sake, probably one of the strongest shinobi on the continent. Even with the Sharingan, Kakashi doubted he would have stood much of a chance against such a monster.

At least Sasuke was safe for now. Orochimaru was wary, afraid of giving up his position to the ANBU after that little stunt in the Forest of Death, otherwise he would have shown up in person instead of hiding in the shadows and letting his summon do the dirty work.

But that did raise the question, just what was the traitorous jounin planning? To risk life and limb just to mark a genin, albeit the strongest genin in the Leaf with his curse seal when he could have done it just as easily as when they were outside of Konoha on a mission, it just didn't make sense. In his experience, Orochimaru was nothing if not cautious.

In any case, it would seem that Sasuke's life just got a whole lot harder. Not only did he have Itachi to worry about, but now Orochimaru was after him too, or rather, the coveted bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan. And at that Kakashi winced, he would bet his entire Icha Icha Paradise collection that whatever the reason, it would only spell doom for the Leaf and its inhabitants.

Well, at least Sasuke would be getting what he wanted. To make sure the boy was ready for the challenges ahead of him, he needed to get stronger, way stronger than he was now and that meant training. Even Kakashi knew that talented he may be, Sasuke didn't stand a snowballs chance in hell against any ninja at Orochimaru's level as he was now, let alone the monster that was Itachi.

Still, to get him ready would require time, and more than that, one on one training that would allow him to focus solely on Sasuke, something that wasn't possible with Naruto and Sakura around. Well, Sakura wasn't too much of a problem; it wasn't likely that she would pass the preliminaries, but that still left Naruto.

Kakashi would be the first to admit that moron he may be, nobody had more luck than Uzumaki Naruto. One way or another, the boy would find a way to advance, of that he was sure of. Not to say that Naruto was a terrible ninja, but he had such a horrible grasp of the basics that the month he would get to train any students of his that passed wouldn't be enough to get him into shape _and _train Sasuke.

It would be more beneficial to simply focus on Sasuke, but what to do with Naruto? He couldn't just leave his student hanging out to dry, but he couldn't take both of them with him. Rather, what Naruto needed was someone to teach him the basics, someone that could take the time and put in the effort needed while getting him ready for the final exam at the same time.

And there was only one person Kakashi could think of that fit the description, Ebisu. Sure, the man may be a special jounin, but he could teach like no other.

Thinking about what he would need to do to get the closet pervert to agree, Kakashi slowly made his way up the stairs, lost in his thoughts of how to get the special jounin to agree. Maybe he could trade in a few favours; the man _did _owe him quite a bit for all the Icha Icha Paraside books he had bought for him. Although there was a slight problem, Ebisu had never tried to hide exactly how he felt about Naruto, and as much as Kakashi hated to admit it, the man didn't like his sun-kissed student one bit.

It wasn't the rabid hatred of most of the villagers, or even the quite loathing of a small fraction of the shinobi population, the man simply didn't like the boy and as far as Kakashi could tell, it wasn't even because of the demon.

Rather, Ebisu hated what Naruto represented. To the bespectacled jounin, Naruto was a thug, a ruffian, a boy that didn't give a damn about authority, hierarchy, or respect, the exact opposite of what an ideal shinobi should be.

Arriving at the base of the tower, Kakashi vanished in a blur of shunshin, appearing in his apartment a moment later in a swirl of moist leaves. Grabbing a sealing scroll from his jounin vest, the scarecrow absentmindedly began sealing away everything he would need for his one month training trip. He had the perfect location in mind, a place where nobody would be able to spy on them.

With a bit of luck Ebisu would accept his offer, and while Kakashi doubted the man would refuse, you never knew with ninja. They could be your best friend one day, only to turn around and stab you in the back the next.

Sealing away the last of his equipment, the elite jounin let his mind wander towards his blonde student. Hopefully Naruto wouldn't be too upset -as he did have a tendency to blow everything out of proportion- and accept Ebisu's help. If he didn't, Kakashi doubted there was anyone else out there that would agree to train him.

In any case, he'd find out in four days time, for better _or_ for worse,

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Caustic energy swirled around him, scarlet and angry, forming the shape of a two-tailed fox as he glared at the cloaked man, eyes spilling hatred like a broken damn. The seal on his stomach was a scalding inferno, the skin surrounding the mark of the Death God blistering and peeling away from the corrosive yokai pooling through._

_His nails lengthened into claws, teeth into fangs as he hunched over, the red-tinged-black mask of his village, shattered and broken like the red-haired body on the ground in front of him slipping off of his bloodied face, hitting the ground before shattering into pieces of sharp porcelain, just as useless and broken as him._

"_Is this all you can do, the most fearsome of all the jinchuuriki? Even the one tails was more a challenge than you, un!" A tempestuous gust of wind tore through the ground as the cloaked figure, blood red clouds adorning the fabric rose into the air on top his creature. Even now, against such power, his face was twisted into a smirk of cruel victory._

_His head dropped as the shroud surrounding him intensified, pure, unrelenting loathing surging through his very core as the surrounding area caved in from the malevolent energy. So they liked crimson clouds huh? Well, he would make sure they rained blood today. For every soul they had torn to pieces through their ritual, he would repay the pain a thousand fold._

_Crouching low, crimson yokai flooded his organs and limbs, pushing them beyond the limits of mere mortal men as he pushed off, his Achilles tendon's snapping from the pressure only to repair not a second later. Great rivers of dust and stone rushed inwards to fill in the mammoth void his jump had created, he himself nothing more than a red-black blur through the blue, blue sky. _

_He would make sure, even if it was the last thing he did, he would make them pay. Each and _every_ one of them would die for the pain they had caused, for the lives they had taken._

_And it was at that moment that he realized, _truly_ realized that this was what Sasuke must have been feeling as he walked out of the Leaf so many years ago. A rage so maddening that you would do whatever it took to kill the person who caused it._

_A ripple of malicious energy vaporized the clouds around them as the creature veered to the left and up just as a claw, shining with crimson power ripped through the left wing. _

_A chained creature suddenly leapt from the cloaked man's palm, wrapping around his corrosive body before tightening even as they fell at dizzying speeds. The world was a watercolour blur, the flesh of his face peeling from the velocity as the creature flashed once, a brilliant blue against his scarlet coat before the world went white within a haze of bubbling fire._

Naruto gasped awake, the sound more like a chocked off scream than anything else. A cold sweat gleamed on his tanned skin despite the near unnatural heat his body gave off as he flung aside the damp covers, feet quickly touching the cold, panelled floors -cool and refreshing- before he jumped out of bed.

Reaching into the remnants of his kunai pouch, the blonde jinchuuriki pulled out a single scroll along with a brush and a metallic ink pot, eyes still glazed over with the miscellany of sleep even as his body worked on autopilot. He _had_ to write it down, while the fleeting memories of his dream were still fresh in his mind.

A few minutes passed with nothing but the sound of ink splaying across paper filling in the silence as Naruto scribbled away. He had started doing this, writing down his dreams that felt more like nightmares made reality after the second one had happened, just before his meeting with the Yondaime. For some reason that he just couldn't put into words, they seemed important, as if he had already been through what he was seeing.

After what seemed like eternity, Naruto put the brush down beside the scroll and let out a slow, deep breath, blood-encrusted shoulders heaving with the effort as he opened his eyes. The digits of the alarm clock glared at him in the twilight of the room, blinking incessantly without a care in the world. It was barely past one, so that meant he had been asleep for about fourteen hours.

Well, he sure as hell wasn't going back to sleep now. Even before the exam, he could hardly sleep for more than eight hours a day -probably a side-effect of housing a demon-, and that was on days he was extremely tired, either from training or from missions.

"Might as well go and see what else's in this tower." Naruto muttered, idly rubbing at his eyes. Walking out of his door and closing it behind him with a soft 'click', Konoha's demon vessel made his way across the circular room and up the stairs on the other side. He didn't know what was up here, but it was better than simply lying around doing nothing for the rest of the night.

Unseen to all, a single, blue-white triangle slowly began spiralling inwards within his sapphire orbs, seemingly shrinking with each passing instant before disappearing altogether.

A few quick flights of spiralling stairs later and Naruto found himself on the roof of the tower, a small, circular opening into the chilly night surrounded by a wide, metallic fence tinged orange with rust. Not another soul was sight and for that he was grateful.

It truly was a sight to behold. Above him, the cloudless night glowed, innumerable stars blinking happily within their blanket of darkness and a moon, full, large and unnatural shone with unrestrained glee amongst them.

In front of him, the top of the forest was laid out bare, a dark sea of green and brown illuminated only by the radiating light from above. A cool wind buffeted his face, caressing his whisker marks like a phantom lover and Naruto smiled a small, mischievous smile as a sense of all-consuming peace, comforting and liberating, swallowed him whole.

Raising a hand as he leaned against the railing, he watched steadily as short, stubby nails hardened, lengthening into sharp, vicious claws, a slight aura of red visible in the dim moonlight. Calm blue swirled into chaotic red, pupils nothing more than slits as the world turned crimson, the moon taking a scarlet tinge. He didn't need to see it to know that his hair had turned shaggier, ruffled, so much like a restless beast.

Pale skin glowed red as Kyuubi's yokai, smooth and even, washed through him, teeth lengthening into fangs and the world coming alive underneath the light of the full moon. But despite the changes, despite the usual talons that could rend a human in half and energy that could boil an ocean dry, it felt different than all the times before.

The essence of pure rage, the need to hurt all those around him was missing. All he felt was a sense of calm, of near unnatural tranquility in its place, and Naruto would bet a year's worth of ramen it was because of the full moon. It had been like this ever since he had used the demon's power for the first time during the Wave mission and while he wasn't the sharpest kunai in the bunch, even he could put two and two together.

He didn't know if the Kyuubi had woken up -did it even _need_ to sleep?-, or even if it had just realized it had been sealed when he used some of its power, but ever since then, the bijuu had been more active, for a lack of better word, and none more so than on nights of the full moon. It didn't speak to him or appear in his head as a gigantic nine tailed fox, it simply sent pulses of emotions, fuelling his own and making them stronger.

And despite that fact that he knew that whatever it was doing couldn't be good for him -or Konoha for that matter-, Naruto just couldn't find it in himself to care. Here, bathed in the reflective light of the sun, unending power running through him and not another soul in sight, all of his troubles seemed to melt away. Be it his dream to become Hokage, the fact that he had a demon inside of him, or even that he was going to be fighting tooth and nail to become chuunin in the next few days, all of it simply disappeared.

Bit by bit, the tension and stress that came with being in a life or death exam, for surging raw, uncontrolled chakra through your body at a moment's notice too vanished as the red energy ran its course. Muscles grew taut before relaxing, his mind grew quieter but remained surprisingly sharp, and Naruto let his shoulders shudder in relief as if a weight had been lifted.

'_If only it could be like this forever…'_ But the blonde knew it wouldn't last. Give it another few hours or so, and the yokai, along with the feelings were going to vanish, just like always. Besides, a shinobi's life had no room for peace. Blood, death, and destruction were as much a part of their lives as breathing, there was simply no way around it.

Oh well, he would enjoy it while it lasted, and worry about it when it was over. Right now, he was simply content to bask in the moonlight and enjoy this rare moment of quiet solitude.

However, it wasn't meant to be as a quiet voice spoke up from next to him, "N-Naruto-kun?"

…Damn it.

Well, there went his quality time, but hey, at least it was someone he liked. Shrugging slightly to himself, Naruto turned towards the shy Hyuuga heiress, a slight smile, fierce and primal yet all too friendly stretching against the dark, claw-like marks on his cheeks, "Heya Hinata, what'cha you doing up so late?"

Startled, Hinata instinctively winced as those dark, crimson eyes landed on her, hungry and ancient, powerful and all-knowing, so much like her father. Taking a careful step towards the boy of her dreams, she unconsciously raised her hands in front of her chest, a hidden desire to protect herself and lavender eyes alight with concern, "N-Naruto-kun, what wrong w-with your eyes, t-they're red."

The dark, scarlet orbs, the slit pupils, the claws for nails, and long, dishevelled hair, it was almost exactly like that time on the mission. But there was something missing, the feeling of fear and anger that had surrounded her crush at that time was gone.

Despite the changes, it was still Naruto-kun.

"Oh, this?" The blonde glanced down at his clawed hands with an expression of slight surprise, the look completely at odds with his normal attitude before shrugging, "It happens every now and then, nothing to worry about." A small part of him wondered if he should be more concerned about Hinata seeing him like this, but another part, the one that was almost delirious on the kitsune's yokai couldn't care less.

"Oh…" Hinata muttered quietly. Maybe it was some sort of family thing. After all, while she had never heard of an Uzumaki clan in Konoha, there were quite a few ninja out there with special abilities; maybe Naruto-kun was one of them.

With nothing left to say, a gauche sort of silence descended upon the duo. Every so often, Hinata would raise her head to glance at the blonde in front of her, trying to figure out what he was thinking, only to blush slightly and quickly turn away at the sight of his crimson orbs starting unflinchingly back at her.

Well this was certainly awkward.

Even without the Byakugan active, a Hyuuga could read their opponent, and while she wasn't even remotely close to her cousin Neji when it came to sheer talent in the usage of their bloodline limit, even she could tell what a person was thinking with a small amount of effort. And what her eyes told her about Naruto-kun was that he was deep in thought. About what, Hinata had no clue, but whatever it was, it was unnerving to say the least, especially with those crimson eyes focused on her.

"So what _are_ you doing here Hinata?" Naruto began again, eyes alight within the darkness of the night, "Not that I mind or anything, but shouldn't you be asleep or something?"

"I-I couldn't sleep." Hinata shivered, remembering exactly _what_ was keeping her from sleeps warming embrace. Jaded emerald green eyes flashed before her, the pitiless pale orbs of a boy no older than her or Naruto-kun consumed by his rage and hatred of humanity.

A few moments passed in silence, the two genin basking in the glow of the moon when a chilly night wind, long and dreary, whistled around their forms, seeping away precious warmth with every caress. Shivering slightly, Hinata brought her arms around herself to ward of the cold, only to let out a small sound of surprise a second later as a warm, caring hand landed on her cheek.

Blinking in surprise, Hinata watched as Naruto leaned in closer, his soft crimson eyes staring into her own pupil-less orbs, "You okay Hinata? If you're cold, we can always go inside." And despite herself, Hinata blushed, her cheeks glowing happily within the night sky.

Cherishing the feeling of his closeness and the warm, soft hand on her cheek, Hinata quickly stuttered out her reply, "N-No Naruto-kun, I-I'm okay." A second passed and another shiver raked through her cold form, and Hinata mentally cursed her body. Now they'd have to go inside, go back to their own rooms and away from each other; all because she couldn't control her own body. Even if she wanted to stay, she knew Naruto-kun would see right through her pathetic lies in an effort to spend more time with him.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto lifted his hand off of her cheek, her skin tingling with unnatural warmth wherever his hand had touched her face, "No, you're not." The shy kunoichi lowered her head at the flat tone of his voice, feeling absolutely horrible for lying to him like that when he flashed her a dazzling smile, "But I know just the thing to make it okay."

Chakra, hot and red shuddered through her bones as Naruto threw his hands into a cross shaped seal, the single archaic gesture moving the crimson energy through his coils, shaping it, changing it to his will, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**."

A puff of dark smoke, nearly as black as the night itself coalesced to their side, completely at odds with all of the other time she had seen the blonde genin perform his beloved technique. Instead of dispersing with the wind, the cloud crawled along the ground, slowly seeping into whatever cracks it could find and leaving a faint trail of barely visible scorch marks wherever it touched.

As the last of the miasma disappeared, Hinata gaped at the sight of a cushioned recliner, easily big enough to seat the two of them and a large, downy blanket nestled near the foot of it, "N-Naruto-kun, h-how did you do t-that!?" The jinchuuriki smiled happily at the unbridled awe in her voice, the childish prankster inside of him basking in the chance to show off.

After all, there was a little kid in all of us.

"Just a little trick I found out I could do with **Kage Bunshin** on my first mission outside of the village." Hey, if he could henge into a metallic shuriken that was not only real to the touch but completely useable, who's to say he couldn't do it with anything else?

Walking up to lounger, Naruto quickly jumped onto it, sinking into the soft material with a sigh of contentment. Looking up, he patted the side to his right, beckoning the shy heiress to come and sit, "Give it a try Hinata, I promise it won't bite." Once again, his voice gained that same knowing tone, "Besides, I know for a fact that you're freezing out there."

Swallowing slightly, Hinata slowly made her way over to the recliner before sitting down with trepidation. Somewhat surprised when the soft cushion didn't give out below her, the pale-eyed kunoichi quickly pulled her feet onto the recliner just as Naruto pulled the blanket over them.

Hinata let out a small moan of contentment as the warm material slid over her frigid body, the cold night air all but a distant memory within the grasp of the blanket, "See, I told you I could make it okay."

Nodding in response -it wasn't as if she could do anything else at the moment- Hinata 'eeked' in surprise a moment later as Naruto's arm snaked its way across her shoulder before pulling her in towards him. Another instant later and she found herself safely nestled against his chest, his arm wrapped around her and the rhythmic beating of his heart a welcomed lullaby in her ear.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Hinata glanced up at the softly spoken words; looking towards Naruto's scarred face, his expression one of total bliss as he stared up at the luminescent moon and nodded happily, a smile of her own blooming on tinted cheeks, "I-It sure is N-Naruto-kun."

Little by little, the world slowly drifted away as the cadenced beating of Naruto's heart gently lulled her to sleep, the troubles of before, the dark, jaded eyes having all but vanished within his grasp. It was hard not to fall asleep when she felt perfectly content and safe within his arms. And so giving up the battle, Hinata leisurely closed her eyes, surrendering herself to sleeps awaiting embrace.

And for the rest of the night, all was right with the world.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Four Days Later…_

Sakura glanced around as all the remaining genin shuffled into the large, open arena that was connected to the central tower, some looking haggard and worn, while others didn't seem to have a scratch on them. Four days had passed since they had entered the tower, and all the participants had just been called here this morning.

Looking up ahead, Sakura spied the Sandaime Hokage standing in front of their impromptu group, his aged figure tall and imposing and flanked by no less than a dozen jounin. She could even recognize some of them. There was Inoichi, her former best friend's father along with his two teammates, Shikaku and Chouza. While Sakura didn't know them personally, she had met them quite a few times whenever she had gone over to Ino's house during their Academy days.

Beside the trio stood a man with pale, emotionless eyes, the frigid gaze of a Hyuuga. Pausing slightly, pink eyebrows furrowed in thought as Sakura quickly swept over the remaining members of the elite group. Was it just her, or did it seem like every clan head in Konoha was here, not to mention all of the jounin sensei with teams that had passed the second exam and the previous examiners.

Looking to her right, Sakura realized that Sasuke had reached the same conclusion -if the shifting yet thoughtful eyes were anything to go by-, but before she could further ponder the significance of her discovery, the withered voice of the Hokage, brimming with wisdom and authority rang out through the desolate chamber, "I welcome and congratulate those of you that have completed the second phase of the Chuunin Selection Exam. Now, seeing as we are running short on time, I would like for you to welcome Gekkou Hayate, your next proctor. He will explain the rules of the upcoming test."

A jounin, sickly and pale appeared in a puff of chakra smoke in front of the Hokage, head bowed and kneeling, "It would be my pleasure Hokage-sama." Hayate rose, a wet cough, heavy with fluid and phlegm springing forth, "Before we can proceed to the final exam, we will have to go through a preliminary round to weed out the weaker genin." Another fit raked through the jounin, his body shuddering from the onslaught, "And seeing as these will be life and death battles, is there anybody that would like to quit right now?"

A single Konoha genin raised his hand, glasses flashing and Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. It was Kabuto, the same genin with those ninja information cards, _'I wonder why he's quitting, he doesn't look hurt at all.'_ From the looks of things, there wasn't a single scratch on his body.

Hayate nodded towards him, jotting down a couple of notes on the clip board in his hands, "Yakushi Kabuto from the Leaf, you may go." Nodding in return, Kabuto flashed them all a small smile before making his way through the crowd, waving jauntily towards the blonde as he passed Team 7.

Watching him go, Naruto shrugged a moment later, pushing the thought from his mind. It wasn't his place to judge if someone wanted to quit or not. If Kabuto wanted to fail for the seventh time, then good for him, it just meant less competition for him in the end, "Is there anyone else that would like to quit before we begin?"

Seeing as nobody else raised their hand, the sword wielding jounin turned towards the Hokage in askance who nodded slightly, features tight.

Nodding in return, Hayate turned, glaring lazily at the genin assembled, "If all of you would please turn your attention to the far right wall, I will explain the rules of this exam." An electronic screech echoed through the chambers as a panel on the wall rose, revealing a large, rectangular box, "This electronic scoreboard will control your fate from here on out. It will randomly select between the remaining genin and choose the matches for the preliminaries."

"As for the matches themselves, they will be an all out, one-on-one competition between you and your opponent." Another round of coughs, more severe than before shook him to his core, and Naruto briefly wondered if the young jounin should maybe sit down. But just like before, they soon subsided and Hayate continued, ever vigilant, "Anything that you have at your disposal can be used, and although killing _is_ allowed, we would prefer it if you leave your opponent in one piece. Now, if you will make your way to the upper level, we shall begin."

The remaining teams slowly made their way to the balconies above them, the senior ninja following suite to their own side as the jounin sensei made their way to their students. Leading the pack of elite ninja, Kakashi slowly strode up the stairs to stand beside his team, his sole visible eye beaming with happiness.

"Yo!"

Naruto just gave his sensei a slightly sour look, bottom lip stuck out in a childish pout. Ever since the man had whisked Sasuke away, neither he nor Sakura had seen him. At first, he had thought that he was privately teaching Sasuke, but after confronting the Uchiha scion on their second day here, it turned out that even Sasuke hadn't seen their tardy teacher ever since their meeting with the Hokage.

Sakura, on the other hand, was much more vocal, "Yo? _Yo!? _You been gone for four days and that's all you can say for yourself?" Beside her, Naruto almost burst out laughing. Leave it to Sakura to scream at a jounin of all things. Turning to face the scarecrow, the blonde waited with a grin to hear his excuse.

"Well you see." Kakashi slightly raised his head, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought, "I was on my way to meet the three of you when enemy ninja from Iwa attacked my. After knocking me unconscious, they dragged me to their base and tortured me until I gave them the combination to my Icha Icha vault. And because they stole my entire collection, I had to go all around the elemental countries buying them all over again."

Looking down at the three gaping genin, Kakashi grinned, "So you see, that's why I was gone for four days."

Smiling bemusedly at their shocked faces, Kakashi returned his attention back to the whirring scoreboard, neon green names flashing on its surface.

In reality, he, and all of the other jounin for that matter had in fact been with the Hokage for a quickly called meeting. Their venerable leader had wanted to discuss the recent appearance of Orochimaru, wanting to warn all of his high ranked shinobi of the traitorous Snake Sannin. From there, they had thought of possible ways of dealing with the threat, but in the end, they had decided that for the safety of Konoha, they would wait and see what Orochimaru was planning.

Still, he could always think about that later. For now, he had an exam to see through and students to take care of. Glancing out of the corner of his visible eye, Kakashi watched in interest as Naruto leaned forward on the blue railing, the tears through his crimson flak jacket and black shirt easily showing the unblemished skin underneath. Now that was surprising, not to mention quite a bit disconcerting.

Kakashi had seen the jagged rips of flesh and muscle, the blood dripping down his form when Naruto had fist come into the tower, and Kyuubi-induced regeneration or not, there was no way he could have recovered so completely so quickly. There should have at least been a small mark, scar tissue or _something _to show where the wounds had been, not smooth, flawless skin.

Oh well, no better time to find out then the present, "Hey Naruto…" The boy turned questioning blue eyes towards him, innocent and pure, and Kakashi was hit with the vaguest sense of déjà vu before he pushed through it, "How's your back doing?"

Naruto shrugged, fingering the ragged patches of clothing down his arm, "It's alright, kinda itches though." Kakashi frowned inwardly, but kept his outward emotionless visage. That itching was probably because of the newly grown nerve endings getting accustomed to sending electrical signals again. It just proved how truly hurt Naruto had been.

"You might want to have a medic-nin check that over when we are done here Naruto, despite your ability, that kind of damage might leave a mark." Wincing slightly at the veiled reference to the fox, Naruto nodded in acceptance and Kakashi returned his attention back to the floor below.

He'd have to remember to ask him what had happened because from what he had heard so far, Naruto had been separated from Sakura and Sasuke in the second exam from the beginning. But for now it would have to wait, it looked like it was time for the first match.

Down below, Hayate turned lethargic eyes to look at two of the teams above, the one from sound, and Kurenai's team from Konoha, "Will Inuzuka Kiba and Abumi Zaku come down to the arena."

Eyes wide, Naruto turned to look towards Team 8's location. Both Kurenai-sensei and Hinata were crowded around the mutt, and from what he could hear, they were asking him not to go down and fight. For a second, the blonde wondered why they would want him to give up, that is, before he remembered what had happened in the Forest of Death.

Damn it, he had forgotten all about Kiba and his injury. No wonder they were worried, to fight with just one working arm in the Chuunin Exam's was asking for trouble.

Then again, the other guy, Zaku, didn't look all that ready either. Both of his arms were in quickly fashioned slings, carefully cradled against his chest as he walked down the stairs. Even walking seemed to pain him, if the slight twinges flashing across his bruised face were anything to go by.

'_Well damn, Sasuke sure did a number on him.' _While he hadn't been there to see the fight in the first place, it was easy to see that Sasuke and Sakura had been ambushed while he had been away. Luckily, Sasuke had easily taken care of the trio, not that he would ever admit it to the Uchiha's face.

Shortly after, the Inuzuka heir walked to stand in front of the Oto genin and Naruto couldn't help but grin. If there was one thing Naruto could respect about the mutt, it was his foolish pride to never back down without a fight. Unlike his counterpart, Kiba's hand had been practically mummified with bandages, yet he could still see the slight tinges of red slowly seeping through.

Beside him, Kakashi leaned forward as Sakura and Sasuke came to stand alongside him, "You three might want to pay attention." The former ANBU captain murmured, "The genin going against Kiba is from the new hidden village, Oto, it might be interesting to see what type of ninjutsu he uses."

Seeing as everyone was ready, Hayate nodded towards the two genin, "Begin." And with that, he jumped back. Genin they may be, it would not bode well to get caught in the middle of a battle between two shinobi.

Kiba smirked, sniffing contemptuously towards his opponent before looking down at the pup trailing his heels, "Heh, we sure lucked out didn't we Akamaru. Look at this guy, he can't even use his arms and he thinks he can beat us."

Akamaru barked back, happy for his master's luck and the Inuzuka grinned towards his opponent, teeth bared in a feral smile of vicious joy, "Tell you what, I'll give you a chance to give up. After all, it wouldn't be fun to fight an opponent that can't even fight back. All you have to do is raise your hand and say 'I give up', easy.

The dog barked again, happy yips and growls the only sounds in the arena as Kiba listened, "What's that Akamaru, you say he can't raise his hand?" Kiba grinned mockingly at his opponent, "I guess we just gotta beat him then, don't we boy?"

"Shut and fight before I put you out of your misery you mangy mutt." Zaku glared at him, lips curling back, eyes narrowing in contempt as he carefully took his left hand out of the makeshift sling, "One hand is all I need to defeat a weak Leaf genin like you."

"We'll see about that." And with that, Kiba rushed forward, animalistic blue chakra swirling through his coils, feeding his muscles, turning them into something beyond human comprehension. Nails turned into wicked claws, black and deadly and shining with unholy power as Kiba lunged, swiping towards the smug boy.

Zaku pulled out a kunai, meeting the other's head long swipe with the metallic rod. Sparks danced through the air, illuminating his face with flashes of yellow light as clawed hand met metal in a shower of pale sparks. Pushing the other boy off and crouching, the Oto genin swiped at Kiba's knees, only to meet air as the dog user jumped back.

"**Gatsuuga**!" A cyclone of flesh and chakra tore through the air as Kiba spun, twisting winds, sinuous and deadly buffeted against the ground, leaving large, grooved gashes as he flew towards the shocked Oto nin. To think, a genin in the Chuunin Exam's could use a jutsu without hand seals.

Well, it looked like he only had one option, "**Zankuuha**!" Zaku thrust his hand forward, an explosion of chakra laced wind escaping through the hole in his palm, a gift from Orochimaru-sama. A low boom shook the arena as the spiralling Kiba met the wall of wind head on. The feral boy hung in the air, slowly but surely tearing through the veritable wall with his bestial claws and nothing but the wind rushing past him keeping him aloft.

Smirking, Zaku let loose another blast and Kiba flew backwards, hitting the wall with a muffled thud and slowly sliding down. Naught a second later and the Inuzuka heir frantically pushed himself to the side with his one good hand as another blast struck where he had just been, the solid concrete wall chipping away underneath the onslaught.

"What are you trying to do you bastard, _kill_ me!?" The small, vindictive grin he received in return was all the answer he needed. Cursing and making sure his injured hand was out of the way, Kiba quickly flipped himself over, a low, deep whistle escaping through his mouth. It seemed like he couldn't hold back if his opponent was seriously trying to hurt him.

Ever the obedient animal, Akamaru rushed towards his master, yipping happily, "Come on boy, let's show this loser what it _really_ means to fight an Inuzuka." A red pill flew through the air, landing in the pup's open mouth, an identical pill in his own hand.

Up in the stands, Naruto watched, fascinated, as Kiba downed the pill, his hair becoming shaggier, teeth turning into fangs as Akamaru by his side turned blood red, his very namesake. Crouching, the bestial genin slapped his hands into a seal, moulding his new found chakra, "Juujin no Jutsu!"

A cloud of chakra-laden smoke enveloped the pair, dispersing a second later to reveal two identical Kiba's. A low, thin rumble shook the arena as they both growled dangerously, carefully hidden animal instincts tearing their way to the surface as both animal and master became something more than mere human.

As one, they both blazed forward, vicious, power infused claws tearing through concrete like so much wet tissue paper and Zaku gulped nervously. The Kiba on the left, Akamaru in disguise reached him first, swiping ferociously at his knees. Jumping, Zaku sent a maelstrom of metal sailing towards the boy, the latter batting them away like annoying flies in the midsummer heat.

The second Kiba blazed in front of him, a sirocco of claws tearing through clothing and skin alike even as he frantically tried to dodge mid-jump. Blood trailed down his arm in rivulets of crimson, the sling being dyed a sunset red as he landed. Above him, Kiba descended like Death incarnate, teeth bared in feral glee and claws shining crimson with power.

A second later and another set of talons from within a white cyclone ravaged his back in a shower of scarlet rain, the forgotten Kiba from before taking advantage of his momentary distraction with a devastating **Gatsuuga**.

Zaku hit the nearest wall spinning, a slight groan of pain leaving him as he slid down the ragged concrete, a trail of crimson painting the wall in his wake before he crumpled on the floor. His vision danced with spots of black on white, the world a swimming haze of colors and shapes through the deluge of pain. Somewhere ahead of him, he could see the twin forms of his opponent, grinning down at him like some beaten animal.

He couldn't let it end like this, beaten by some no name Leaf genin. He couldn't let Orochimaru-sama down, not when he was counting on them. But what could he do? His back was a mess of bleeding skin and ravished muscle, and his unmoving arm was even more injured than before. Really, all he wanted to do was simply lie here and just close his eyes.

Kiba snorting slightly in contempt as his opponent quietly closed his eyes, "Hey proctor, I think that means I win?" Beside him, the disguised Akamaru exploded in a puff of smoke, returning to his former glory, his assistance no longer needed.

The sickly jounin took one look at the downed genin before nodding slightly, "Winner, Inuzuka Kiba." Taking a moment to press a button on the headset in his ear, Hayate quickly called in the medics, "Medic nin report to the arena please." After all, while Oto was a relatively new village, it would be prudent to get medical attention for one of their shinobi as fast as possible and start off on their good side.

Meanwhile, Kiba quickly made his way back up to the platform, a childish grin threatening to split his face in half and Akamaru happily trotting alongside him.

"Well damn, guess that mean's Kiba's going to the finals." Naruto muttered in wonderment, watching as the mutt's teammates and sensei congratulated him happily. Not that the blonde had doubted the Inuzuka boy or anything, it was still surprising nonetheless. After all, he knew Kiba was a vicious fighter, especially in close combat but with one of his hands being nothing more than bandaged paste, he highly doubted Kiba could have pulled off what he just did.

"I always thought he was a bit cocky." Sakura said in an odd voice, as if not quite believing what she had seen, "Someone that was all talk and no bite, but I never thought he'd be this strong." It just went to prove that grades in the Academy meant nothing in the real world. Kiba had been one of the students with the lowest marks, someone that should have been _easy_ for her -a kunoichi with a near perfect record- to defeat in a one on one fight.

Yet here he was, trouncing a genin that had all but annihilated her in the Forest of Death with nothing more than one working arm and a dog of all things.

"Kiba _is _the heir to the Inuzuka clan, so he's received the best training his clan has to offer to get him ready for his future role." Kakashi spoke up from beside them, his orange book mysteriously missing, "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if all of the genin from your graduating class have had training to prepare them for their eventual roles as clan head."

"Guess that means we'll just be fighting harder opponents from here on out huh?" Sasuke grinned, dark eyes sparkling wildly, "I can't wait for my turn." This was what he'd been looking for, opponents strong enough to test his strength against, to see how much further he had to go.

"But it looks like you will have to wait Sasuke." The jounin said, pointing up at the board, "Seems like Naruto gets to go first."

"Huh?" The blonde murmured, turning to follow the gesture.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Kinuta Dosu

The blonde slowly ventured a glance at the masked face of the other Oto shinobi; and even being as far away as he was, he could still see the demented grin visible through the layers of white bandages. But that wasn't what set Naruto on edge.

It was the eye.

He could see the hatred there, the pure, soul burning loathing he had seen in the eyes of some of the villager's of Konoha, those that had lost everything they were and so much more at the hands of the Kyuubi. Oh sure, it was definitely muted, hidden by the harsh training of ninja protocol, Naruto doubted he would have even seen it if he wasn't so used to it, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

"Kakashi-sensei…" The elite jounin 'hummed' in response, turning to look at his charge and was surprising to find caution blue eyes staring back at him, any and all semblances of the happy prankster gone from his expression, "I can't be sure, but I think he knows about _it_."

The bottom of his stomach twisted unnaturally as Kakashi turned to observe the Oto genin. Now that Naruto had mentioned it, it wasn't that hard to see the cold wrath boiling just below the surface. But if that was true, then how did he find out. The knowledge of what had happened to the Kyuubi was the most protected secret in all of Konoha. Everybody knew of the penalties that came with revealing it, and stupid the villagers may be, none of them were suicidal, at least not after the Sandaime made an example of the first few that tried to spread the secret.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi questioned, brows knit together in thoughtful frown. If it was true, that could only mean one thing; a traitor was going around, spreading confidential information to other hidden villages. Still looking ahead, the blonde shrugged, "Like I said, I can't be sure, but I think he does."

"Will Uzumaki Naruto please come down to the arena?" Hayate's voice, sickly and wan broke through his reverie and pulled him back to the land of the living. Shaking himself from his stupor, Naruto made his way down the stairs, the voice of his sensei quietly trailing him, "If what you say is true Naruto, do try to be careful."

"What was that all about?"

Kakashi heaved a broken sigh, first the situation with Orochimaru, and now this, "Nothing you need to worry about Sakura." The scarecrow paused, as if doubting his words. Sooner or later, he knew that they would be dragged into the web of lies and secrets of their blonde teammate, but not now, not if he could help it, "Nothing you need to worry about."

**XX AN XX**

**Annotations:**

"_Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands when all else has fallen."_

A quote I found on the internet; thought it fit Naruto's love for all that he holds dear. Sadly, I don't know the author.

_-----_

If any of you noticed the plot hole in this chapter, congrats. If you didn't, oh well.

In any case, it took a while to get this out. As always, school is to blame. First semester had been easy enough, straight high A's without too much trouble, it's the second one that's being a bitch.

In case you all want a comparison (something I highly doubt):

Semester 1:

Biology - 95  
Chemistry - 89  
English - 93  
Animation – 96

Semester 2:

French - 90  
Socials - 88  
Math - 78  
Physics - 67  WTF!?

Yeah…

I'm not that good at math.

Now for some questions that came up:

Q – Why didn't Naruto use his flames to melt Gaara's sand?  
A – I don't know where this came from, but it's absolutely ridiculous even though it does seem pretty logical.

Here's some interesting info: the melting point of sand is 1723 °C, and the hottest an oven can be is a mere 475 °C while water _boils_ at 100 °C. So do you really think a Katon jutsu would be able to melt that?

Secondly, the same people then go on to say that Naruto could punch it and break through it. Assuming Gaara hasn't _already died_ because of being trapped in freaking molten glass, the sand would be nothing more than extremely hot, molten goo. Putting your entire fist into it isn't a very good idea.

Q – Will Naruto learn his father's jutsu before the main exam?  
A – Probably not, still thinking on it.

Q – Will Naruto use his quasi-bloodline limit against Gaara?  
A – Yup

Q – Does Minato have feelings for the Kyuubi's human form?  
A – Not in the slightest. He is only _physically _attracted to her.

Q – Was the girl being raped Sakura's mother?  
A – Maybe, maybe not. But if you really want to know, why else do you think Naruto has such a crush on Sakura? That girl was someone he couldn't save, someone he couldn't help, and since she resembled Sakura so closely, Naruto unconsciously trying to do all that he can for her to make up for not doing anything when he was a kid. At least that was the idea, it will be expanded more upon later.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM or even leave it in a review. No matter what it is, I promise you I won't be offended, so there's no need for anonymous messages.

Well, that's about it until -the hopefully sooner- next time.


	12. A Hyuuga's Hatred

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** Matrix_Explosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 9,219

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** July 13, 2009

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiku Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Well, enjoy. Kind of later than I wanted to get it out, but stuff happens.

And before I forget,

HOLY SHIT! I hit 200k words!

In any case:

Here's chapter 12…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 12 – A Hyuuga's Hatred**

The blonde shook his head a couple of times, trying and failing to get rid of the raw, queasy feeling clamped around his stomach. It kind of felt like he had eaten weak old ramen and rancid milk before going for a mile long run.

Yeah, this was about three times worse than that.

A second later and he was frantically dodging to the side as a vicious swipe met the unyielding concrete wall behind him, sparks of molten iron trailing in his wake. Looking back as he flew through the air, Naruto couldn't help but grin nervously at the long furrow that had been carved into the wall.

'_Holy shit! That could've been my head!'_

Landing on his hands, the blonde jinchuuriki spun on his palms, lashing out with a series of kicks. Crossing his arms, Dosu blocked the legs, grunting from the effort. Despite the jinchuuriki's size, he could pack quite a bit of power behind his blows.

Thinking quickly, the masked Oto nin took out a kunai, ducking under the last kick before lashing out towards the blonde's hands with frightening speed. Not wanting to have his hands skewered, Naruto threw himself into the air, landing a few feet away before frantically bending at the waist.

The thrown kunai passed over his now horizontal torso, a slight dribble of blood oozing from the shallow wound on his nose from where the knife had nicked him.

Taking advantage of Dosu surprise at having his attack miss, the demon host reached into his own pouch, taking out a handful of shuriken and hurtling them at his opponent. The whirling stars of death whizzed through the air with frightening accuracy.

Following his attack, Naruto bolted forward, a kunai quietly slipping into the palm of his hand. Reaching Dosu, he swung viciously; only to have the bladed weapon stop midstride with a sharp 'clang' and a shower of golden sparks.

Across from him, Dosu glared into his eyes with his own lone orb, eye spilling hatred like a broken dam. His gauntlet covered arm was in between them, straining visibly from the effort of keeping his weapon at bay.

He could recognize that glare anywhere, lined with fear and promises of retribution. The terror and hatred within his eye made him want to vomit, terror for what he contained and hatred that was born from the darkest place of a human beings soul. Oh well, it was now or never, "Let me ask you something."

The strange request caught Dosu completely off guard, so much so that the killing intent he had been releasing completely vanished with a swirl of dust, replaced with a silent flash of curiosity within his lone eye. He knew he shouldn't let the beast have enough time to plan something, but it wasn't as if the thing could actually beat him.

So pausing in his attempt to annihilate the monster, the Sound genin tilted his head curiously, the small gesture making him look like one of the old, withered owls he had seen roaming the forests of Konoha, "What, have a last request before I send you to join your brothers in hell?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Naruto grinned, his smile bestial as he felt his body repairing itself, only to abruptly don a sombre expression, sapphire eyes shadowed by golden threads of hair, "I know you know what I am, but why do you hate me. I haven't done anything to you, hell I haven't even _met_ you before today. And as far as I know, _it_ hasn't done anything to you either."

"Hasn't done anything to me?" The sheer incredulity in his voice made Naruto wince, "Your _kind_ killed my family, my _sister_ and you think you haven't done anything?" Dosu's voice was naught but a whisper as he raised a shaking hand, grabbing the edges of his bandaged face before pulling, scarred flesh, blackened and unrecognizable greeting his horrified eyes.

An empty eye socket, as dark as the Kyuubi's soul glared back at him, inky red veins like diseased rivers spanning the inside of the burnt ruin.

It felt like he was staring into the mouth of hell itself.

"So you see." Dosu continued, and Naruto signed in relief as the bandaged snapped back in place, "If you think you can stop me demon, just try. I'll kill every last person you've ever cared about, maybe then you'll feel the pain I've gone through."

Steeling his expression, Naruto nodded.

That was good enough for him.

A storm of chakra whirled into his arms, the exhausted muscles hungrily lapping up the new source of energy, and gritting his teeth against the pain, Naruto threw the surprised Sound genin back with newfound strength.

Quickly regaining control and skidding to a stop a few meters away, Dosu smirked as he brought his covered arm to bear, his single visible eye glinting victoriously, the gaze of a man consumed by more than vengeance, "Now I have a question for you."

Seeing the blonde nod, he continued, "I've always heard about how powerful the shinobi of the Leaf are. Of how geniuses like the Yondaime Hokage, the three Sannin, and the White Fang could take on entire armies by themselves and come out unscathed." The sole eye suddenly narrowed, his voice dropping several octaves as he continued, "And with you being what you are, I thought I would have the fight of my life, but it turns out you can't even _touch _me."

The Oto shinobi leapt forward, arm cocked back before he swung. Naruto jumped back, only to lose his balance as the world turned upside down, the metal encased punch forcing the wind from his lungs. A second later and he flew off of the fist, careening through the air as a veritable wall of energy tossed him like a rag doll.

Hitting the floor with a sickening crunch, the blonde quickly pushed himself to his feet, wiping the slight amount of blood dribbling down his cheek with a tattered sleeve before grinning savagely, "Entire armies huh?" The demon host raised his hands into a half ram seal, a spasm of energy coursing through the arena before the floor was covered in thick, chakra-laden smoke.

The smoke cleared a moment later revealing a wide-eyed Dosu and over a hundred grinning blondes, each one identical in every way, shape, and form. As one, all of the blondes spoke up, the combined voices of over a hundred shinobi reverberating the very walls of the stadium, "Well then, let's see you come out of this army unscathed!"

A sirocco of red on black surged forward as Dosu swung wildly, the first few dying in an instant as the pressurized sound waves met the weak constructs. Still, innumerable others swarmed forward, like an angry horde of demons from hell itself, they kept on coming.

Dosu twisted, spun, and slashed his way through the soft bodies, rivulets of sweat soaking his bandaged face from the onslaught. Roaring, the genin launched a haymaker at one of the clones, the cheekbone's shattering on contact like brittle glass before it disappeared in an explosion of smoke.

The clones -seeing as they were only getting in each other's way- pounced as one, landing on their opponent, hoping to crush him underneath their combined weight. For a moment, all was quiet except for the sounds of struggling and Hayate leaned forward in anticipation, ready to call the match in the blonde knuckleheads favour.

Then it happened.

An ear shattering noise shook the very foundations of the Tower, the ground rolling outwards from the pile of blonde's as the shockwave of energy spread, instantly dissipating the cloud of smoke that had been brought on from the disappearing clones.

Focusing chakra into his legs and gluing himself to the ground just as the shockwave hit, Naruto watched on in awe as Dosu slowly appeared in the quickly dispersing cloud, iron gauntlet embedded a foot deep into the floor and his chest heaving painfully, noisily drawing quick, short gasps of air.

Smirking wolfishly, the last Uzumaki took in the sight of his battered opponent. Purple-blue bruises lined the side of his bandaged face, and a steady stream of blood was dribbling down his nose, a lucky hit from one of the clones. Even that gauntlet thingy had cracks running along its length.

"So, what was that about defeating entire armies unscathed?" Naruto's grin only widened as the other genin glared murderously at him. It might not have been the best of ideas, but he was having way too much fun to really care.

Silent in his rage, Dosu clenched his fist hard enough to draw blood. How dare this… this _thing_ mock him!? After all he and his kind had done, after all of the families they had destroyed, the lives they had ruined, he dared to make fun of him!? He'd show him, he's show all of his kind.

A corona of power encased the iron gauntlet on his left hand before Dosu thrust it forward, a literal wall of sound flying towards the blonde jinchuuriki.

Naruto cursed, diving to the side, a ripple of pain shooting up his leg as the solid wave clipped his ankle and sent him spinning, the world a watercolour blur. Hitting the wall, the blonde let a groan of pain escape parted lips even as he slowly got back to his feet, swaying drunkenly all the while.

"I see you've figured out what this thing can do." The Sound genin questioned, smug vindication oozing from his voice, "So run all you want Konoha genin, but you can never hope to escape sound itself." As if to prove his point, Dosu lightly flicked the metallic contraption and Naruto gagged, falling to his knees as a high pitched screech tore its way through his ears.

Dimly, he could hear the voices of the genin above them, distant and unintelligible against the never ending ringing pounding its way through his head. Scarlet drops of blood accompanied the sound, trailing their way down his cheek bones in rivulets of crimson.

Well damn, taijutsu was out. Even if he could get close enough to the Oto genin, that freaky sound arm would always get him before he could even hope of attacking. He didn't know any genjutsu, so all that left was ninjutsu.

A quick seal later and a **Kage Bunshin **exploded into existence, hands already forming seals for a technique, "**Fuuton: Daitoppa**." A tempest of wind burst forth from its corporeal palms, raw and uncontrollable, tearing through the ground as it flew towards the surprised Oto nin.

A low boom shook the ground as the wall of wind met another burst of sound, this time a makeshift barrier against the tumultuous winds. Safe from the onslaught, Naruto watched as his opponent gagged, the last vestiges of his chakra slowly draining away as he valiantly tried to keep the jutsu at bay, _'Now's my chance!'_

The blonde blazed into movement, crossing the distance between the two of them in one, thunderous leap, flying through the dissipating winds, the last remnants of his clone's jutsu as the bunshin returned to wherever it came from.

Offset by the sudden lack of resistance, Dosu had no chance to block as a rising kick took out his chin, his mind flashing to the image of a bowl cut boy, clad in green spandex and eyebrows as large as his forehead.

He had lost to that freak, and now he was going to lose to this one.

Naruto launched himself into the air, copies of himself shimmering into existence below him. Grabbing the ankle of the soaring genin, the jinchuuriki pulled, the clones making a crude chain of flesh and bone as they grabbed onto his legs.

Grunting, the clone at the bottom spun, chakra, midnight blue, the color of the ocean, twirling around his feet, propelling him to unimaginable speeds as a veritable cyclone of black on blonde rose in the center of the arena, twisting winds and dust flying through the chakra laden air.

Unbeknownst to all, pale white orbs with just the barest hints of lavender, the eyes of a noble, narrowed in contempt as he watched the bastardization of his clan's ultimate defence.

Releasing his hold, Naruto watched as Dosu flew through the air, a missile of gray that hit the gigantic statue, a strange sort of seal with the unmistakable crunch of breaking bone and twisting cartilage.

Landing deftly, Naruto flashed through seals, ending in tora and holding it. Chakra flickered, like the heart a forge, blistering hot within his chest, ready to blast anything that came his way to hell and back with the barest of breaths.

But as the dust settled and he spied the crumpled form of Dosu lying near the statue, unmoving as a puppet with its strings cut with pieces of his weapon littered around him, Naruto slowly let the energy dissipate with a small huff of air, the remnants of chakra igniting instantly as they met the oxygen-rich environment.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto." Hayate's voice crackled through the silence, a fit of wet coughs following in his wake as he went and stood over the broken, bleeding body.

Naruto stood there for a moment, revelling in the feeling of his first true win. No Kyuubi-induced rage as it had been against Haku, and unlike Gaara, there was no 'tie' with him ending up in worse condition that the one he was fighting, just a straight, clean win.

The blonde decided it felt good.

Hayate coughed in the distance, motioning towards the stairs, "If you would make your way to the stairs, we would like to begin the next match."

Nodding sheepishly, he did just that.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled as the blonde made his way up the stairs, his wrinkled visage crinkling in amusement as the shy Hyuuga heiress approached the demon vessel with medicinal salve, the lightest of blushes adorning her cheeks.

It truly was heart warming to see him so happy, despite all of the hardships he had faced, _still_ faced till this day. Things no sane man could weather through had been thrown against the boy, a test by the gods themselves to prove his worth, his desire to live, to succeed in the face of adversity. And unlike countless others, he had risen above the prejudice, learnt from the mistake of others and flourished underneath it all.

Muffling a hearty chuckle, the Sandaime amusedly shook his head. It almost sounded like a fairytale from one of Jiraiya's books.

But that didn't stop the guilt from burrowing into his soul with claws as dark as night.

Unlike Jiraiya's books, there was no happing ending.

No matter how he tried to make it seem right, the fact of the matter remained. Naruto shouldn't have had to face any of those adversities at all. He had tried, he had tried so hard it hurt to make life for the boy easier, to make the villagers see him for who he was and not what he contained. But he was only one man, and even he -a Hokage for more than half his lifetime- could only do so much.

Mercifully, he had been able to give him at least some semblance of a normal childhood, but it was still nowhere near what the boy actually deserved.

"My, my, he certainly grew up in an interesting way." The voice of Inuzuka Tsume, loud and brash, broke through his quiet melancholy, the feral leader of the Inuzuka Clan watching the jinchuuriki as he made his way to his team.

"Of course." Akamichi Chouza murmured, heavy footfalls shaking the floor as he walked up to stand beside the bestial leader, "Given what he is, it's a surprise he isn't a jounin already."

The Professor narrowed his eyes. The Akamichi clan was one of the few shinobi factions that, while not hating Naruto for what he was, were more than vocal about their distaste for the boy. Understandable, considering the Akamichi Clan had been reduced to nothing more than a dozen members or so after the Kyuubi's attack, but they hadn't been the only ones to lose something to the beast.

He was also one of the -thankfully small- minorities in favour of turning Naruto into a living weapon. Nobody could doubt the effectiveness of a jinchuuriki, and the massive potential they had for destruction, destruction which could be harnessed in favour of any Hidden Village.

Fortunately, he had been able to dissuade them of that notion quite quickly. After all, _everyone_ remembered the jinchuuriki from the secret shinobi wars. Humans that were nothing more than shells for the demon within, puppets that quickly withered and died, the uncontrollable power of the sealed ones eating them from the inside out.

"And what exactly is he Chouza-san?" Hiruzen questioned, wrinkled eyes narrowing in disgust as the obese man sputtered; face an ashen gray, the color of curdled milk.

"Um, a genin of Konoha, Hokage-sama." Sweat rolled down his face, stung his eyes as he looked to and fro towards the other jounin gathered, pleading for help against the wrath of the Professor.

"That's what I thought." The stout man heaved a sigh of relief and the aged Sarutobi shook his head in disappointment, silently waiting for the next match to be called, for the farce known as the Chuunin Exam to resume.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was almost surreal, in a strange sort of way.

The crimson vest was torn and bloodied, a jagged set of rips shooting down the back like the claws of an angry God. His pants were no better, knees scraped out while little nicks and cuts littered the black surface. The once golden mane of hair, gravity defying and almost blinding with its intensity was matted with sweat and grime, lackadaisically falling over his bright, sapphire orbs in uneven bangs, partially covering the Hidden Leaf symbol of his head band.

The azure spheres themselves shone with glee, not the usual, everyday happiness, but a vibrant glint that seemed to set his very soul ablaze. It was as if it didn't matter that he has just been in a battle where his opponent had tried to kill him, the fact that he won, that he fought, bled, and nearly died for his dream to be the greatest, the strongest of them all was more than enough motivation.

It was a Naruto that she didn't recognize, and if Sakura was honest with herself, it absolutely terrified her. Not in the way like she had been back at the battle on the bridge -an event she had now come to terms with. And she _still_ had to apologize to Naruto for that-, on their C-class turned B-class turned A-class mission, but it was as if she hadn't really _known_ the blonde up until this very moment.

The Naruto she thought she knew was a loud, obnoxious, ramen driven fiend. Oh sure, he was dependable, and she knew that while he hadn't been all that good of a student back in the Academy, he could more than hold his own in a fight. He was the joker of the team, the one that nobody, even his own friends took seriously.

But the Naruto in front of her was _different_. There was no other way she could explain it. The slow, confident gait, the kunai idly spinning around his index finger, the silent confidence, the bloodied and bruised form, it went against everything she knew about him. It felt as if he could take on the world and win. In fact, he almost reminded her of…

Pausing at that train of thought, the kunoichi of Team 7 turned to look at her idol, the last scion of the Uchiha clan, then back again to the slowly walking Naruto, an undeniably resemblance coming to the forefront of her mind. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he almost reminded of her Sasuke-kun.

However, before she could entertain that disturbing train of thought, the very object of her thoughts came to stand beside them, "So, am I awesome or what?" That disturbingly familiar grin once again bloomed on whiskered cheeks, sharp incisors glinting happily.

Kakashi raised his head from the orange book held lazily in his hand, his one visible eye crinkling with pride at his student's accomplishment, "That was great Naruto; looks like you'll be going to the finals." And he _was_ proud. Many people, including himself had doubted Naruto in the past, this just proved to them that if he put his mind to it, the blonde knucklehead to accomplish a great many things.

Although there was still the unresolved issue of where the blonde had learnt that fuuton technique, but that was a matter for another time. It would not bode well to call him on it in front of Sasuke and cause unnecessary conflict. No, that was a problem better left until he could talk to Naruto alone.

Off to the side, the Uchiha heir smirked, "Didn't think you would make it there from a second dobe, I was worried I would've had to go to the finals alone." Unseen to all but Kakashi, Sakura lowered her head at the stinging words; even Sasuke-kun didn't think she'd make it through the preliminaries.

Clenching her fists, the cherry blossom raised her head, emerald green eyes shining with determination. She would show him, she would prove to Sasuke-kun that she was strong enough to stand by his side.

An electric whir brought everyone's attention back to the electronic scoreboard, neon green letters whizzing by at a frantic pace, an executioner's axe for the gathered, randomly going through the remaining genin one by one before settling on a pair.

The sickly voice of the proctor rang out through the arena, "Will Rock Lee and Akamichi Chouji please come down to the arena." A whirlwind of coughs assaulted the jounin's frame as he finished, tremors shooting down his spine from the onslaught.

Releasing a whoop of joy, Lee jumped down into the open stadium, childish glee awash on his face for the upcoming fight. This was it, his chance to prove that you didn't need ninjutsu or genjutsu to become a powerful shinobi. Turning to face his mentor, the spandex adorned genin flashed a nice guy pose, _'Watch me Gai-sensei, I will prove to them that I can be an excellent shinobi.'_

Back on the balcony, Sarutobi Asuma sighed amusedly as he crouched down to his student's level, the tallow boy quietly staring at the other genin through the metallic blue bars of the railing, "Come on Chouji, you can't give up now, not when you're so close!" The boy only shook his head in return, refusing to get up. He'd rather be disqualified than go down there and make a fool of himself.

Raking a hand through his hair, the elder Sarutobi thought for a moment. What could get his student to fight? Realization struck after a minute and the smoking jounin smiled, "How about this, if you win, I'll buy you all the steak you can eat." That should do it.

Just like he expected, the round boy jumped to his feet, "Alright, let's do this!" Quickly making his way down the stairs, the Akamichi strode to stand in front of the patiently waiting Lee. Seeing as they were ready, Hayate nodded once, jumping back as he did so, "Begin."

Lee settled into his stance, shoulder turned towards his opponent, one hand held behind his back while the other stood out in front of him, palm facing the ceiling, "Nice to meet you, my name is Rock Lee, and may the better shinobi win." And with that, the Azure beast of Konoha blazed forward, a cloud of dust and debris rising in his wake.

It was over in a matter of moments.

Chouji only had a second to blink confusedly before a rising kick took out his chin, teeth clicking together painfully as his feet left the ground, the world exploding into flashing blotches of black and white.

Below him, the bowl cut genin jumped, a circle of dust marking his ascent as he soared through the air, a bullet of black on green. Reaching his opponent, Lee spun, legs blurring into an indistinguishable blur of green and orange, "**Konoha Senpuu**!"

Chouji cried out in pain as the green whirlwind struck him once, twice, head spinning, the coppery taste of acrid blood rife within his mouth as hands grabbed his trailing scarf in a vice-like grip, pulling him closer. A right hook smashed into his jaw, the vicious strike smashing through bone and muscle like a minnow through water and Chouji's world went black.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto whistled in awe as the motionless form of Chouji hit the arena floor with a dull thud, the spandex-clad form of Lee landing not a moment later, pearly white teeth pinging in childish joy as he swiftly rejoined his team. Honestly, that had to have been the quickest and most one sided battle he had ever witnessed, even Sasuke hadn't had his ass handed to him that quickly by the eccentric, albeit frighteningly powerful genin.

And he doubted they'd even seen a fraction of the bowl-cut boy's strength. He hadn't even used any ninjutsu or genjutsu for Kami's sake, just hand to hand combat. And yet, he had still annihilated his opponent.

Looking down as the medics slowly hauled the unconscious boy out of the arena; Naruto felt a claw of guilt rake its way through his spine. That had been the worst possible match up for the poor Akamichi. The only things he had going for him were his strength and size, and against an opponent that was as fast as Lee, well, it didn't really do all that much good.

"My youthful rival!" The sapphire-eyed jinchuuriki winced as a booming, exuberant voice shook him to the core, his already damaged hearing protesting in pain. Blinking, the blonde watched as the spandex-clan jounin they had met before the exam came to stand beside them, his three students following close behind.

"Hmm? You said something Gai?" And just like that, the Green beast of Konoha deflated, large eyebrows twitching spasmodically at his rival's 'hip' response, "Your hip attitude pisses me off Kakashi, and to reclaim my eternal youthfulness, I challenge you to a contest!"

Closing his book with an audible 'snap', Kakashi shrugged towards his self-proclaimed rival, "Alright, name your game." He might as well get it over with, he knew for a fact that the other jounin wouldn't leave him alone until he accepted whatever ridiculous contest he had cooked up.

"Aha, but who said it was a contest between us my one-eyed friend?" Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow at that. This was certainly new. Smiling at catching the copycat off guard, Gai continued, "Your team of genin against my own cute little students, the jounin with the most students making it to the finals wins."

Debating the pro's and con's of such a contest, the elite jounin shrugged apathetically a moment later, reaching out and grabbing the other man's hand in a firm hand shake, "Deal." They already had one each, and he was pretty confident Sasuke would make it through, not to mentions Gai's Hyuuga kid. That only left that girl enamoured with weapons and Sakura, the two wildcards.

But what would the winner get? Simply getting a point towards their total -49 to 50 in Gai's favour- seemed a little ordinary for this, something else would have to do, but what? Opening his mouth, Kakashi turned to the taijutsu master only for Hayate's cough to interrupt him.

"Will Nara Shikamaru and Tsurigi Misumi please come down to the arena?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought, idly leaning against the railing as the latest of the Konoha genin; a boy by the name of Akado Yoroi was quickly taken off the field by medical personnel, the older man's screams of pain shearing through the air.

'_Well that was interesting…' _

Even from where he was, he could see the charred hands of Gaara's opponent, flesh falling off with every movement, the putrid stench of decay rampant throughout the air. Black veins ran like diseased tributaries up his arms, the soft tissue around them going a dull grey, the sickness spreading before his very eyes.

But what had happened?

Yoroi had run towards the Gaara, hands glowing blue with chakra as sand rose, coiling like a serpent through the air before darting forward, enveloping his form. He had honestly thought that the Konoha genin was dead, only to gawk in surprise when the grains of immolated earth starting falling off in sheets, a waterfall of brown tinged red.

But even that had lasted only a moment before the screams started. Unremorseful as ever, Gaara had thrown his opponent against the wall just as the proctor had called in the medics, a look of savage pleasure dancing within his ringed eyes.

Looking around, Naruto wasn't surprised that the other genin -and even some of the jounin- were just as freaked as he was.

"Ka-Kakashi-sensei, what was that?" Sakura spoke up beside him, emerald eyes, usually so bright and full of life, wide in fear, pupils dilated so that only a ring of green was visible amongst a sea of black and white.

The copycat narrowed his eyes, quietly thinking of how to explain this to his pink haired student without revealing exactly _what_ Gaara was, "Some shinobi have abilities, and while not quite bloodline limits, give the owner special powers, powers that nobody else has. I'd say Gaara's one of those shinobi."

Mentally congratulating himself on his convincing lie, Kakashi watched as understanding donned within sea foam orbs before returning to his own little world within the orange covers of his beloved novel.

Despite her rather abysmal abilities as a kunoichi, Sakura was nothing if not smart. He didn't doubt it for a second that if he let out anything about Gaara's true nature, sooner or later, she would connect it to the strange occurrences around Naruto and everything would go to hell in a hand basket.

Meanwhile, the blonde had shifted his attention to the remaining six genin, five from Konoha and one from Sound. Huh, so only four matches had passed since his fight with Dosu. It sure as hell seemed longer than that.

After Lee's match had been Shikamaru against Misumi. Surprisingly, Shikamaru had won without raising a single finger against his opponent. Not that the Nara was weak or anything, Naruto knew for a fact that the bastard was way smarter than he let on. In all honesty, he was just surprised the pineapple haired boy hadn't quit when he had the chance.

The next two matches had continued in a similar fashion. Temari of the Sand had utterly decimated the female of Lee's team, and Shino, despite having had most of his kikai destroyed by Gaara scored a narrow victory against Kankuro even after being poisoned.

He had nearly fallen asleep from the sheer boredom of it all when Gaara's name had been called, and that's when things had went from dull to disturbing.

There was something about the red head that just rubbed him wrong. Something disconcerting and not quite natural. Even now, he couldn't really give a reason for his paranoid fear; all he could feel was something fierce, primal, _ancient_ coming from the sand wielder.

And it made the demon bound to his soul react, and _violently_ at that.

Just like any other time they met, he felt the spike of burning energy spiral its way through the seal, filling him to the brim with raw, malevolent power. However, unlike the rage that usually accompanied the power, there was something else, something far worse, and it set him on edge like nothing before.

Rage he could handle; _had _to handle every time he went into battle. It was the bestial, savage urge to immolate the red headed Suna nin, to grind his very bones into dust, to create a throne of _blood_ and _flesh_ atop the grave so no other being would ever challenge his strength that was new.

Not to mention abso-_fucking_-lutely frightening.

Frightening because the Kyuubi never reacted like this. Whenever he got angry, well and truly _furious,_ it would rage and howl, pounding away against the bars of its prison to let it out, to let it fight and kill and destroy.

But this was different. All it did was sit behind the bars, pushing its burning yokai through the cracks in the seal, an endless stream of malevolent energy brimming with potential swimming just below the skin. And with that yokai came the whispers of power. Of unending carnage and bloodshed, of showing the emerald eyed runt just who was the strongest.

And he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that if he gave in just a little, allowed just a slight bit more control to the monster, the red haze would overwhelm him.

Luckily, he was shaken from his disturbing musings as Hayate called the next match, "Will Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji please come down to the arena."

A long while passed, broken only by the quiet pitter-patter of sandaled feet and the whispers of jounin and genin alike as the two Hyuuga made their way down to the arena. Behind him, Kakashi let out a small sigh, "Well now, this should certainly be interesting." He waited as his three students turned to look at him, then continued, "You three wouldn't know this, but the Hyuuga Clan is actually divided into two houses, the main and the branch. It's been like that ever since it's founding during the beginnings of Konoha."

Naruto closed his eyes in thought, face scrunched in idle concentration, a habit from times long past as Kakashi drawled on, "And because of that division, many things have happened between the two houses over the years, leading to a quiet hatred from the branch house towards the main family."

"Then those two already hate each other…"

"I don't think so." The pink haired kunoichi turned towards her blonde teammate, her gaze questioning, "I mean come on, do you really think _Hinata _of all people could hate her family, even if they hated her?"

"That's exactly my point Naruto." Kakashi eye-smiled down at the blonde, a small eel of pride worming its way into his chest at the fact that he caught on so fast, "But even though Hinata may not hate the branch house, Neji will do _anything_, even put his cousin in the hospital, to get back at the main house for what they did to him."

The sapphire-eyed jinchuuriki stilled; a cold wave of dread -much like the ocean's current, deep and unknowable- washing through his being at those ominous words. Looking down into those pale lavender orbs –twin moons in a sea of darkness-, he couldn't fathom how anyone could hate a girl as kind and as gentle as Hinata.

But as he turned to look into the off-white eyes of her cousin, Naruto couldn't help but grimace at the hatred he saw within their depths, the slow, quiet loathing twisting like a coiled snake, just waiting to strike its prey.

Taking a deep breath to calm his suddenly frayed nerves, the blonde resisted the urge to wipe his sweaty palms on the hem of his tattered shirt. He was just worrying over nothing. No matter what he had been through, Neji wouldn't really put her into the hospital.

However, the cynical part of his mind -the part that was buried beneath the need and desire to protect all those close to him- knew first hand just how powerful an emotion like hatred could be. It could drive the most rational of men to the brink and beyond, pushing them to do things no sane person would dream of for a chance at vengeance, for a chance to make those they hate feel even a small modicum of the pain they lived with on a daily basis.

That did raise another question though, just _why_ did Neji hate Hinata of all people? From the way Kakashi-sensei had said it, the poor girl had nothing to do with whatever it was that happened to him.

Hell, he could even understand the villagers' hatred towards him; after all, they were attacked by the freaking Kyuubi, the embodiment of death and destruction. Whatever had happened to Neji couldn't have been nearly as bad to warrant such disgust.

But before he could further ponder the enigma that was Hyuuga Neji, the proctor's voice called out from below, signalling the start of the match and Naruto swallowed, the leaden weight in the pit of his stomach only growing.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

'_Pathetic.'_

A small, scornful smile made its way onto Hyuuga Neji's face as he stared at his cousin, the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. Head downcast, hands wrung together in front of her, shoulders hunched, her entire demeanour simply _screamed_ insecure. This useless excuse for a Hyuuga was their future?

Unbidden, a small inkling of regret wormed its way through his mind, completely at odds with what he thought he would have felt when this moment finally came.

Maybe it was because of the image of a young Hinata, hiding behind the leg of her father -so innocent and pure- that flashed to the forefront of his mind. Or maybe he thought that she was simply beneath him to fight. Whatever the reason, he knew he had to at least give her a chance, "Before we begin Hinata-sama, I would like to warn you. You cannot win against me.

Hinata looked away, hands coming together in front of her, a subconscious desire for comfort as Neji continued, his tone searing, "You have never made a good shinobi, you're too kind, your will too soft. Forfeit now and you won't get hurt, it would be best for this village and the clan if you remained a genin."

A vindictive sort of pleasure rose within him as he watched her eyes widen, the beginnings of a retort dying within parted lips, "You wish for peace and harmony amongst others, completely at odds with the very world we live in. You follow others, unwilling to even stand up for yourself. After all, the only reason you came to this exam is because your teammates needed you."

"T-That's not t-true…" Neji stopped his verbal attack, surprised that the usually silent kunoichi even talked, "I… I just w-want t-to change m-myself, to prove m-myself."

"Do you truly believe that?" The Hyuuga genius shifted into his stance, veins bulging, flowing with chakra, the lifeblood of their bloodline, "People cannot change; it is their inescapable destiny, unchanging as the stars set in the heavens themselves. Fate decrees how we will live our lives from the moment we are born, and words like loser and genius are made to separate the weak from the strong."

Hinata simply stood there, withering through the storm of hurtful words, but that didn't stop the thoughts from rampaging through her mind. Is this how the world truly saw her, as nothing more than a weak excuse for a kunoichi, destined to spend the rest of her life in mediocrity? Shame burned behind her eyes as liquid tears that would not fall, the sense of utter futility all encompassing.

Gifted with the vision of his coveted bloodline limit, the elder Hyuuga saw it all and more, "You, Hinata-sama are a loser. I've seen it with my eyes; please do not further shame our cla-"

"Shut up you bastard!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It took Naruto a moment to realize that the grinding sound was coming from his own teeth.

What that…that _bastard_ was doing to her went beyond mere hatred. The way he verbally ripped into her without a shred of remorse, clinically tearing down her self-esteem one word at a time, each and every syllable dripping with caustic venom.

Nobody deserved that, especially not a girl like Hinata.

If he had simply beaten her in a fight, it wouldn't have mattered. This was the Chuunin Exam, he understood that. Things like bonds, friendship, and family didn't matter in a place like this. It was all or nothing, they were here to win by any means necessary.

But the words, the cruel, arrogant words that hurt worse than any bruise ever could…

And for one single moment, he saw himself down there, the hateful mutterings of the villagers, mutterings of dead last, monster…

_Loser_

…creating a whirlwind of hatred, of loneliness that sheared through his mind.

The screech of twisting metal rent through the room as the railing crumbled beneath Naruto's hands, the vice-like grip on his shoulder the only thing stopping him from jumping down and showing the uppity Hyuuga just what a loser could do. Ignoring the warning glance from Kakashi and the blood trickling from his palms, the blonde narrowed his gaze, eyes spilling hatred like a broken dam.

"Shut up you bastard!"

Naruto snarled, inch-long incisors flashing dangerously, the smile of a predator, "How the hell would you know what a person can or cannot do huh? You're too blind to look past your own hatred and see what a wonderful person Hinata really is! If she wants to change, who are you to stop her?"

The female Hyuuga's eyes snapped to face her crush, unshed tears glistening within their lavender depths at his unabashed sincerity, _'Thank you, Naruto-kun.'_

As the rest of the genin looked at him in shock, the blonde turned his attention towards Hinata, azure eyes alight with determination, "You can do anything you believe you can do Hinata." A foxy grin bloomed across whiskered cheeks, "Now go kick that fucker's ass."

Hinata lowered her head, a silent 'thank you' lazily wafting through the air, unheard by all before she slid into the traditional Hyuuga stance, a mirror image of the boy in front of her, "I won't run away Neji-niisan."

"So you won't forfeit?" The prodigy let out a despondent sigh. Well, he had given her a chance, but if she didn't want the chance to get out of here unscathed, he would show her what fate awaited her, "If you must be foolish, so be it."

With that, the Hyuuga genius blurred into motion, hands darting forward at dizzying speeds, nothing more than a blur to the naked eye.

Waves of chakra flew through the air as Hinata blocked, returning the volley with her own savage hits. A palm glowing with chakra darted towards her side and she spin, a chakra coated hand slapping it off course before shooting towards Neji's chest.

Neji countered smoothly, the very picture of Hyuuga grace as the two Jyuuken users began an intricate dance of liquid death, sharp bursts of energy crackling through the air as they launched strike after strike, their hands nothing more than blue-grey blurs to his eyes.

And as he watched everything from above, the blonde jinchuuriki realized two things.

One, Neji was faster than Hinata, _way_ faster. Every movement was calm and controlled, every twitch of his muscles only leading to something bigger in the grander scheme of things.

The second, more chilling realization was that he was merely playing with her. From what he understood of the Hyuuga fighting style from Kakashi-sensei, there were a handful of times where Neji could have ended it with nothing but a flick of his wrist, yet he still continued to fight.

Nevertheless, Hinata seemed to be holding her own, but he knew that it would only take one small mistake to end it all. Even from where he was, he could feel the bursts of chakra fuelling their strikes. The damage they could do with that kind of power…

He was proven correct a moment later when the older Hyuuga deflected a blow and flew into Hinata's guard, small flares of chakra leaving a trail of painful burns like tiny pin pricks among porcelain skin before a palm strike sent her skidding back.

A deluge of blood spread crimson across the floor as Hinata brought a hand in front of her mouth, uncontrollable coughs shuddering through her chest. Neji just looked at her, and then smiled, a cynical twist of his lips.

"It seems like _this_ is the extent of the main branches' power."

The Hyuuga heiress heard none of it. Agony lanced white-hot through her stomach even as the Byakugan deactivated. Blood frothed from the side of her mouth, seeping through ghastly white fingers as she fell to one knee, the strength leaving her legs, muscles quivering underneath the strain.

Unbidden, the image of golden hair gleaming in the moonlight, of feral red eyes like dying stars pulsed to the forefront of her mind, in beat with her erratic heart.

"N-No… I-I'm not done y-yet." Hinata struggled to her feet, the veins surrounding her eyes pulsing, the Byakugan fluctuating on and off wildly. Naruto-kun would never give up, and neither would she.

"Why do you keep on getting up?" Neji snapped, the stoic calm he had retained throughout the fight finally slipping. It didn't make any sense, there was no way she could win, Hinata herself knew that, so why did she keep on getting up?

A whimsical smile was his response as Hinata lowered her arm, hands falling limply to her sides, "I p-promised myself t-that I w-would c-change." She paused as another bout of coughs shook through her body, but the pained smile remained, "T-That I would b-be a different person b-by the end of t-this e-exam."

Naruto stilled as lilac eyes flickered towards him, a maelstrom of emotions swirling within their depths. Determination, resolve, and something he couldn't quite identify, all brought together to create something that could never and would never be put into words.

Then they were gone as Hinata turned back to her cousin, "A-And I don't g-go back on my word… That's m-my ninja way."

Something warm unfurled within Naruto's chest as he heard those words, something that, until the last few months was almost completely unheard of: joy.

Neji called her a loser, a weak nobody not even worthy of their clan name. He ridiculed her, tore her into tiny, bleeding pieces with words alone, and when that wasn't enough, beat her into submission with his skill.

And she still didn't give up.

She got back up, despite the fact that she couldn't use chakra, despite the fact that she was bleeding from more places than he could count, she still stood up to face the overwhelming odds unflinchingly, even when they both knew that she couldn't win.

Neji saw a loser, her family saw a failure, and her friends saw someone that they should pity.

When he looked down at her, what he saw wasn't a girl to pity, a failure; he saw a kindred spirit, desperate to prove herself against impossible odds to somebody, _anybody_ that was willing to give her a chance, to show them what she could do.

But most important of all, he saw himself.

An outcast for things beyond his control, desperately railing against the hatred of the world, the rejection, the failures of a lifetime.

And he saw Sasuke.

The genius of a noble line, god among men and a bloodline limit that _defined_ power backed by skills and knowledge that he could never hope to achieve.

It was then that he realized, as he looked at the proud, unbroken spirit burning within those lavender eyes, that he had finally met someone that was justlike him.

Finally returning his attention to the battle below, Naruto couldn't help but stop the fleeting twinge of nervousness and the small, worried frown that bloomed across his face as Hinata collapsed, the concrete died crimson below her unmoving form.

The gathered shinobi watched as Neji scoffed, turning to look at the proctor with expectance, "Well, it looks like that's the end of the match." Hayate raised his hand, ready to declare Neji the winner when-

"Don't stop the match!" Everything was as still and silent as a midnight grave, only the sound of a dozen peering eyes breaking the silence. Beside him, Sakura took a halting step forward, hand upraised, twitching, as if fighting the urge to hit him.

"What the hell are you thinking idiot!?" Sakura's voice was nearly hysterical, brow furrowed in concern at the unmoving form of the Hyuuga heiress, "She _unconscious _for god's sake, there's no way she can continue."

Naruto's blue, blue gaze swung to Sakura and the cherry blossom stopped her tirade, the words dying in her throat, suffocating under the pressure of the wholly unnatural and all-knowing look in his eyes, "No, she's not, look."

As if to prove his point, the quiet rustle of clothing on concrete jostled Sakura from her angry diatribe, the quivering figure of Hinata, blood soaked and pale, rising like a vengeful spirit, a soul of red and white.

Neji stared, his once infallible composure lost, "Why do you stand?" Beads of cold sweat trailed down his brow, eyes glaring poisonously, "You cannot win; I've seen that with my eyes. Even now, you curse your own powerlessness; your pitiful excuses of wanting to change cannot hide the truth from these eyes. That is your destiny, accept it and stop this foolishness."

"You're wrong cousin," Hinata muttered between shuddering breaths. Pausing, blood splattered the front of her jacket in a shower of scarlet, her coughs renewed. Tense moments passed before she wiped her mouth, head cocked to one side, eerie lilac eyes distant, clouded, staring unflinchingly into his own, "I can see that you are hurting worse than I am. You hate yourself even more than you hate me."

The Hyuuga genius inhaled a short, sharp breath of surprise, then blinked once, slowly, as if not comprehending what he had just heard before rage coloured his face crimson. The next moment and he was rushing towards the collapsing heiress, palm outstretched, a corona of power blossoming around it.

He could vaguely hear the examiner yelling at him to stop, that the match was over, but between the rage pumping through his veins and the blood rushing through his ears, none of it mattered. All he could see was the spoiled little princess in front of him, mocking him with her pity.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Time seemed to stand still for Naruto as he watched Hinata fall, each and every second searing itself into his mind with excruciating detail. He could see the tresses of hair, matted with blood, sweat, and grime trailing behind her, a curtain of dirty lavender, to her eyes, once so full of life falling to a close, distant and clouded.

A sudden rush of displaced air bowled over him from the left, and he was dimly aware of Kakashi-sensei disappearing in a cloud of up kicked dirt, launching himself over the railing with all the speed of an elite jounin.

But none of it mattered.

His eyes were locked on the slowly toppling body of his newest friend, the cold hand of death, revolting and twisted, grasped around her bloodied form. His fingers contorted around the already ruined metal of the railing, slashing his palms to shreds that hissed angrily in return, healing seconds' later with a flash of ruby.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was just an exam; they were _family _for god's sake. He might have never had one, but he knew for a fact that they didn't go around fucking_ killing _each other.

He wasn't even aware of the low, agonized groan that fled through his inch-long incisors as he thought,

'_This wasn't supposed to happen…'_

Before a great tearing sound, like a piece of aged paper ripping in half tore through his stomach and the world bled crimson.

**XX AN XX**

Hehe, almost feel bad about releasing such a short chapter after three months of making you guys and girls wait…

Anyhow, next chapter's a fourth of the way done and should be out way faster than this. I'd say twenty days at most with one thousand words written a day.

Now, for some questions, although beware of spoilers for future chapters:

Q – Naruto should be a bit angrier at Kakashi.  
A – The next chapter will almost focus specifically on this.

Q – Naruto should be able to melt Gaara's sand.  
A – Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Q – Will Jiraiya or the Sandaime talk to Kakashi?  
A – Yes, both of them will, probably in the same chapter although different times.

Q – Don't make Naruto chase after Sasuke.  
A – Don't worry, I have something planned.

Q – Is Naruto going to get trained in his sleep?  
A – Yes.

Q – Will Kakashi find out who Naruto's dad is?  
A – Yes.

Q – Does Motoko have a purpose?  
A – Yes, yes she does.

Q – Will you keep the plot going at this pace?  
A – It will get faster, I promise.

Q – Are the dreams/visions of canon Naruto?  
A – No.

Q – What was the plot hole?  
A – I actually had it be a full moon for two straight days.

Q – Will Naruto find out the Yondaime is his father?  
A – Yes.

Q – Why is every girl a beauty in your story?  
A – That's because I, for one, adore beauty and the female form. Kinda like Jiraiya, although more subtle.

Q – Will it be Sasuke Vs. Gaara in the finals?  
A – Yes.

Q – Will Naruto learn Hiraishin?  
A – I still need to think about it. If used properly, it's such a broken technique that anyone that learnt it would be unstoppable.

Q – Have you lost interest in this fic?  
A – Hell no, just really, _really_ busy.

Lastly, thank you for all the reviews. Believe it or not, I replied to each and every one that was sent after the last chapter. Sadly but I only got around seven replies back.

Yeah...

I don't think I'm going to be doing that again. Too much work.

Well, that's about it. And remember, since I don't really get paid for this, reviews are a pretty nice alternative *winkwink/nudgenudge*.

Until next time.


	13. Cursed Blossom

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** Matrix_Explosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 12,911

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** December 31, 2009

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiki Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

…Hehe

Just a quick suggestion; read the note at the end that explains why my Sasuke is acting so strange.

Here's chapter 13…

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 13 - Cursed Blossom**

"Wh… Where am I?"

Unseeing blue eyes opened to face a field of eternal darkness. He was but a blot, a dark shadow against the gloom, unfeeling of all except a strange, dull throbbing deep within his brittle core, the gods themselves hammering away inside of him.

Blinking -or, at least he _thought _he was blinking, he couldn't really tell- he tried to reach for it, gracing the tips of the sensation with numb fingertips before recoiling in shock, teeth on edge.

A surge of raw hatred -blistering with its intensity- ripped through the room, a sparkplug to his mind, images flashing, dancing across his vision and he yelped back, recoiling, phantom fingers letting go and he staggered back, drenched in a cold sweat.

Shuddering as the feeling subsided; the demon host shook his head. Well, he sure as hell wouldn't be trying that again. But back to the matter at hand, why was he here? Was he supposed to do something, or perhaps meet someone?

His thoughts were muddled, confused, as if submerged beneath an ocean, a sea of something red, like the color of freshly spilt blood, flowing yet strangely viscous, raging and powerful.

A white blot -the fuuin of the Yondaime Hokage- appeared from below, the kanji for 'Seal' floating within the nothingness, a translucent smudge within the vast realm of obscurity.

Naruto watched, enthralled, as a sharp sound, the tell-tale shriek of paper tearing echoed through his mind, a small fraction of the symbol breaking away in a white mist, thought-

'_That _can't _be good__…_'

-before a sea of red obscured his vision.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

His soul was on fire.

All he could feel was rage boiling through his veins, slithering through his chakra coils in flashes of scarlet red and the raw, poisonous power that wisped over his skin, bleedings patches of burnt flesh trailing in its wake.

Agony lanced up the sides of his skull as his teeth ground together, cracking, shattering into tiny white chips that pierced through his cheeks. Incisors grew and cut through his lips, mouth filling with the taste and smell of blood. Claws, black and jagged forced themselves out of his fingers, glinting reddish in the incandescent lights.

The Kyuubi was howling within him, a thunderous sound that shook through his core, reverberated through his bones and the scorching fire that spread through his veins bled into his cerulean orbs, the midnight blue swirling inwards, dark crimson bubbling to the surface like magma.

The world bled red and a strangled roar flecked with scarlet liquid froze everyone in their tracks as he flickered through the air, a low boom shaking the building as he flew over the railing, serrated claws as black as night howling beside him. A moment later and he landed, the concrete cracking, a clawed hand slashing forward, powerful finger closing in around pale white flesh.

Hyuuga Neji clawed at his neck, futilely trying to wrench away the burning hand, the acrid scent of burning flesh and blood wafting through his nose. Involuntary tears sprung to his eyes from the heat even as black and white stars flashed in and out of existence in front of his white orbs.

Naruto glared, caustic crimson meeting grey-white as the blonde jinchuuriki growled, "One more move, just one more move bastard, and I'll _tear_ your fucking head off."

He didn't see the jounin surrounding them; he didn't pay attention to the brief spike of pain that shot through his chest like a javelin. All he could see was those pale white eyes staring into his own in surprise. Every muscle in his arm tightened as a wave of that wonderfully red energy rushed through his appendages, the noble eyes of the Hyuuga prodigy bulging grotesquely, his ashen face growing only paler as the seconds ticked on.

Someone was saying something to him, ordering him to stop but he ignored it, intent on watching as his nails drew blood, puncturing through the soft flesh of Neji's neck, the red rivers trailing down his finger as he leered at the look of terror in those eyes.

All it would take was one small flick, one small flick of the wrist-

A gurgle of blood sounded behind him and his eyes widened

'_Hinata!'_

Naruto spun, his hand peeling away from Neji's flesh, patches of skin sticking to his palm as he dived towards the downed heiress. Behind him, the Hyuuga genius fell to one knee, chest heaving with ragged gasps.

Scarlet swirled inwards, anxious azure rising to the surface like the great seas, the wisps of demonic yokai floating above his skin disappearing like a blanket of smoke in a tropical storm, "Hinata! Are you alright!?"

Pale eye lids flickered open, twin crescents of fair lavender like pieces of the moon greeting his eyes, glazed and unfocused, "N-Naruto-kun…?" A slight dribble of blood accompanied the soft whimper and Naruto winced at how weak she sounded, "D-Did I do o-okay?"

Naruto leaned closer, a parody of a comforting smile twisting at his lips, "You did great Hinata-chan, I'm proud of you." He pushed back the aching clog in his throat, swallowing thickly as she smiled with bloodstained teeth.

"I…" Hinata whispered, pausing as words slurred by the deluge of blood leaking from his pale lips, "I'm glad I w…was able to change."

Then her chest rose with a single breath, moving with almost painful slowness before lilac eyes closed and her breath trailed into the air in one long, fading sound that trailed into nothingness.

'_No!'_

Turning, the jinchuuriki stared at the gathered jounin, pleading for them to help and Kurenai nodded, "Medics! _Now_!" Men and women in glaringly white clothing scrambled onto the arena floor, surrounding the duo, a rough hand pushing the blonde back and out of the makeshift circle.

The next few minutes passed in a blur of white costumes and glowing green hands as the medic nin quickly carted Hinata away, thinly veiled panic hidden behind flimsy expressions of professionalism. He couldn't help but stare at his friend's face as they passed him. Her skin had gone as pale as snow, her once vibrant lips tinged blue.

"Pathetic…" A blast of killing intent rung like a bell behind him, as unmovable as a mountain and Naruto stiffened, turning to face the Hyuuga prodigy. Gai was standing beside the noble, eyes ablaze with anger at the detachment -so much like a genius- for his actions.

Bowing his head, Naruto grit his teeth, "You… You bastard." Neji looked up at the nearly unintelligible whisper, an aristocratic eyebrow raised in questioning, "How could you do that to her!?" A shaking hand rose, dried blood falling off like morbid snowflakes, finger pointing in the direction of the infirmary, "Hinata worked so _hard_ to get this far and now… Now she's fighting for her _life_ because of you!"

"What's it to you?" The prodigy's voice was calm and collected in spite of the burns he could see littering the pale skin of his throat, "She is weak, a loser. Despite the fact that Hinata is of main house descent, she continues to shame the clan with her ineptitude. As far as I'm concerned, she deserves whatever comes her way."

"But I do have to wonder, why do you of all people care?" A smirk flared to life, screaming of arrogance, of unfounded superiority, "Then again, I guess losers have to stick together."

Naruto, trembling, took a step, then another. The slow, swirling fury began to coalesce, wrapping like a whirlwind cloak around his frame, a welcoming change. Nails lengthened, whisker marks grew, chakra swirled. He nearly went half the distance when billowing robes appeared from inside a cloud of dispersing smoke.

"That's enough Naruto." The Sandaime stood before him dressed in full regalia, his eyes glacial chips of brown. Undeterred, the blonde took another step forward and Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, chakra flaring, "That's not a request genin, or do you want to be disqualified for attacking another candidate unprovoked?"

The demonized genin snarled, glaring at his leader with twin pools of frozen ice, fury dancing deep within and Sarutobi mourned the loss of the innocent young boy he had once known. But no matter what, he could not let the boy he thought of as a grandson continue his slippery slope into darkness and so returned the glare with his own dispassionate gaze.

The contest of wills lasted for a few more moments before Naruto lowered his head, shoulders slumping tiredly, eyes gazing at the small pool of blood beneath his feet. A second later and the crimson miasma dancing across his skin shattered; broke into a red mist, so much like the scarlet liquid on the ground. He felt tired, drained.

Cautiously, the leader of the Hidden Leaves stepped away from the motionless jinchuuriki, shaking his head. Naruto's position within the village was already a precarious thing, and his 'little' display of demonic power was not going to help it at all. He could already see Chouza grinning like a mad man.

But what was done was done. There was no point dwelling on something he couldn't change and besides, it would be best to get this exam over as quickly as possible, perhaps have Jiraiya look over the seal again.

Seeing the Hokage nod and flicker away, Hayate coughed, opening his mouth to announce the next match when Naruto spoke, head still bowed, "Neji…" His voice was soft, whispers of wind, a mother's caress, not a hint of the boiling anger from before visible, "If I were you, I'd run…"

Neji scoffed at the threat, watching as the blonde urchin kneeled, running a hand through the puddle of blood on the ground, "…because if we meet in the finals, you _will_ pay." Naruto raised his head, his blue eyes cold, unmoving and tainted with scarlet, "For every drop of blood you've spilt, you will pay tenfold…" Eyes like the heart of a forge, burning and red blazed into existence, "…_that's_ a promise."

The Hyuuga genius paused, startled at the conviction in his voice before shaking his head. A snort of disdain followed and he turned around, the crest of the Hyuuga a shapeless swirl on his back as he walked away with his head held high.

Naruto watched him go, fists clenching, angry red streaks tearing through his skin. A last look towards the infirmary, gaze filled with concern before he too turned and made his way to the dais.

And behind them all, Kakashi sighed tiredly. It was going to be a long, _long_ month before the finals.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Sasuke stared, eye smouldering, flickering between crimson and obsidian. The seal on his neck throbbed in beat with his heart, begging to be released, to consume him -mind, body, and soul- in return for power untold and he wanted to give in, wanted to so badly that his legs were trembling-

A ripple of chakra spread from the seal and Sasuke stifled a gasped as the energy ripped through his coils, muscles humming with unreleased potential.

-because he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was the only way he could match Naruto's power.

The red miasma that glittered over his skin like ruby beneath sunlight, raw, burning, poisonous and powerful. For one such as him, someone that coveted power above all else, it was majestic, _beautiful_ beyond reproach. _That_ was what he needed to kill Itachi, to grind his bones to dust and spread his remains to the four corners of the world.

It did make him wonder though; did Naruto have a seal of his own? Who knows what could have happened to him during the time in the forest when they were separated, fighting for their lives against impossible odds. That snake nin could have just as well gone after the dobe and given him one of those curse seals.

Hmm, now that was something to ponder. It would explain the strange chakra Naruto had seemingly gotten from nowhere. It went without saying that if he had always had this power, he would have used it before today, but there was only one flaw…

Where was the mark?

The Uchiha scion could still remember the way the black whorls that spread over his flesh like a virulent disease, the way the purple miasma flittered over his skin, the caress of a lover, and the way it filled him to the core, overflowing into an aura of lavender death.

Naruto's power was similar yet different all the same. There were no visible marks, no visible seals, just a tidal wave of scarlet, ancient and unforgiving, blistering like the heart of a star. It wafted through the air like a poisonous mist, suffocating with its intensity.

Now all he had to do was find someone to answer his question-

His jounin sensei came to a stop beside him and Sasuke smirked at his luck.

"Kakashi-sensei…" The one-eyed scarecrow paused, staring down at his raven haired charge, a silver eyebrow raised, "That power…the strange chakra that Naruto has, is it because of a seal?"

Kakashi's eye widened and Sasuke narrowed his own, thoughts whirling, but before he could further muse over the small tell, Hayate called the next match, "Will Uchiha Sasuke and Tsuchi Kin please come down to the floor?"

The scion stared into his jounin sensei's dark orb, eyes probing, scarlet seeping in around the edges, tinting his vision crimson. Kakashi returned it with his own lazy glare until finally Sasuke shrugged -dark eyes promising that it wasn't over- and made his way down the stairs, the distant cheers of that platinum blonde and his own female teammate trailing in his wake.

A moment later and he was standing in front of the last member of the team from Sound, nondescript, no special weapons, and a healing bruise on her face. The way she looked at him -eyes wary and mouth set in a thin line of caution- made Sasuke smirk.

Finally, people were recognizing his power.

'_Just wait Itachi; I have power now, power that will defeat you.' _The dark fuuin pulsed, red-black whorls spreading, meeting the containment seal and Sasuke bit his lip, concentrating. The flames shrunk, waning before retreating back, hissing in defeat as the Uchiha sighed in relief.

Kin, feeling the small flare, swallowed nervously and wiped sweaty palms against the rough fabric of her vest, a twinge of pain rippling through her jaw. She remembered all too well what had happened the last time they had fought, the way the purple chakra, a gift from their master, crawled across her skin, flicking against her face with tiny strands like a hundred snake tongues.

Maybe she should just quit, she knew she couldn't win, hell, she doubted she could survive if he called upon the curse seal's power.

But a quick glance towards her jounin instructor and she lowered her hand, head bowed, tears stinging her eyes at the hopelessness that erupted within her.

Hayate coughed the sound sickly and wet, of ruined lungs and a disease ravaged body before nodding his head towards the two genin, eyes wary, "Begin."

Anticipation rushed through his veins, the thrill of the battle and chakra -water blue and weightless- swirled towards the surface. A trio of kunai launched themselves from deft fingers, flying towards the Oto genin.

Kin sidestepped, face a mask of concentration, the blades passing by her in a flash of muted silver and the whisper of wind. Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out a handful of senbon and Sasuke winced even as he exploded into motion, the phantom pain of a body riddled with those things flashing through his mind.

Another kunai slid into his palm, the weight a comforting burden, deflecting the needles as he pounced, swiping viciously.

It was easy to see that the kunoichi was not a close range fighter from the way she awkwardly twisted around the strike, almost tripping, a thin line of blood seeping through her clothing from where it had nicked her.

Sasuke slashed towards her head, the kunai a grey-black blur in his hand. Kin ducked, senbon firing towards his kneecaps and Sasuke smirked, twisting into a crouch, his left leg smashing into her side with the wet sound of snapping bone.

Blood fountained from her lips, frothy and red as she cried out in pain, rolling with the blow to get away. The senbon fell from her nerveless fingers as she tried to get up, wincing as a spike of agony tore through her side, vision hazy with grey clouds.

"You should just give up." The young kunoichi blinked dazedly, trying to focus on the aloof voice, a cold and distant thing to her clouded mind, "You know you can't win, you might as well stay down."

Something hot and vengeful uncoiled in her gut at his words, something that left deep, weeping gouges in her palms-

Hatred.

Hatred at the knowing, _mocking_ tone of his voice for the simple fact that she was a kunoichi, for the simple fact that she wasn't as strong or as fast as her shinobi counterpart.

And that hatred bubbled from her mouth in cruel, caustic words, "You know what?" Her lips curled into a feral smile, a shaking hand rising, the middle finger extended, "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on!" And senbon were flying from her hands, towards his surprised face, towards those detached, mocking eyes with a hiss of displaced air.

Crimson burst across his vision, Sharingan whirring with cold intensity and Sasuke leapt, twisting, fingers raking the ground, skin peeling as he dodged, the needled flying past him in a blur of grey-white.

Sweat trailed down his brow as he landed, adrenaline pumping and a single thought fled through his mind at the incandescent flashes trailing from the Sound genin's fingers-

'_What are those…wires?'_

Before a small, sweet ring, the chime of a bell echoed through his head and his vision stitched into ragged lines of watercolour grey, the Sharingan fading. Sasuke fell, knees scraping the hard concrete painfully as he tried to focus, "What…What's going on?"

"Not so cocky now, are ya bastard?" The Uchiha looked up at the sound of her voice, trying to regain his bearings only to blink in confusion as a small army of Kin's greeted is disbelieving eyes.

'_How…?' _There was no way they could all be clones, could it? The only person he had seen make those many was Naruto.

Unless…

Sharingan eyes bled into existence, one tomoe, then two cycling madly and the bodies vanished in a flash of chakra and smoke like the illusions they were. He almost smirked as the real Kin walked towards him, her gait a confident stride, senbon poised, but illusions had to be kept and so he waited.

Kin strode up the Uchiha, her teeth flashing dangerously as she grinned, senbon prickling against his neck. Who would have thought she was going to beat the prodigy of the Uchiha Clan, "So what was that about me giving up?"

But that dream fled her as soon as those blood red eyes rose and Sasuke smiled ferociously, the gaze of a demon, "The offers still open." Frantic, she stabbed forward, the blood thundering in her ears-

But it was too late.

Sasuke pivoted, chakra swirling, his elbow crashing down on the back of her neck, and the world shot out of focus. A hacking cough tinged red exploded from between bloodstained teeth, black-white sparks dancing across her visions, and she fell, limbs nothing more than leaden weights as the world bled black.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke." Hayate's voice crackled over the cheering of the two kunoichi, a short bout of coughs following as he called for the medics. Although her injuries weren't severe, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Sasuke gave one last glance towards his opponent as they carried her off and then made his way up the stairs, trying and failing to hide a smirk of satisfaction.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Haruno Sakura stared, eyes alight as the boy of her dreams -fair skinned, obsidian eyed, and the blood of a noble line- strode to a stop beside her.

He had been so strong down there, so in control as he decimated that kunoichi that it had been breathtaking to watch. A small, vindictive part of her couldn't help but think that Sasuke-kun had done it for her and the next moment she had to hold herself back from squealing out loud like a horny schoolgirl.

"Great job Sasuke-kun! I knew you could do it!" Sasuke grunted in response, frowning, eyes trailing towards the eerily silent blonde to his left. He would have thought that Naruto of all people would have been the first to congratulate him on his victory. The fact that he would have insulted him a second later didn't matter; it was the principal of the thing

Sasuke grunted in response, mouth twisting into a frown, eyes trailing towards the eerily silent blonde to his left. He had been oddly quiet ever since that little incident with the Hyuuga. Not that he wasn't grateful, but he would have thought that Naruto would have at least insulted him by now, more than likely making fun of his victory.

Shrugging at last, he did his best to rid himself of the thought.

But even as Hayate announced the next match, he couldn't completely rid himself of the small coil of loneliness that sprang to life within his chest.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Final match, Yamanaka Ino against Haruno Sakura" Hayate spared a quick glance at the two before dropping his hand, "Begin."

Yamanaka Ino stood in front of her rival, a smirk splayed across ruby red lips, sky blue eyes glinting. Who would have thought she would end up facing Sakura?

"How about this Sakura, I'll give you a chance to quit for old times' sake." Platinum blonde sparkled like spun gold as the Yamanaka heiress nodded towards the dais, "All you have to do is turn around and walk up those stairs, and I won't have to waste my time beating that large forehead of yours in."

A small coil of regret welled cold as ice in Ino's stomach as she saw Sakura wince before it was covered up by a thin veil of bravado.

"And what, lose in front of Sasuke-kun? You wish you blonde bimbo!" Ino stared at her friend, her face burning, "Bimbo!? I'll show you what this bimbo can do!"Any regret she might have felt for her one time best friend vanished, replaced with the need to utterly crush her opponent.

A small flare of chakra echoed through the large atrium, perfectly controlled and rigid and Sakura exploded into motion.

Ino gasped, eyes wide, wind swaying as a curtain of pink fled over her eyes, smelling of cherry blossoms and the forest. A small voice caressed her ears, "You should get serious Ino…" Then she was flying through the air, jaw aching and mouth tasting of blood.

A small dribble of blood slid down the side of her chin as the Yamanaka got up, wincing as her jaw stitched painfully, words slurred, "Hehe, I guess you're not the same Sakura I remember to be able to hit me." A hand rose, wiping away the crimson liquid, "But since you asked so nicely, here I come."

Sakura slammed her hands into a seal, three bunshin flickering into existence beside her just as Ino rushed to meet them. Hopefully they would be able to buy her some time. She only had one shot with the jutsu before she ran out of chakra and not nearly enough experience using it.

Besides, it wasn't like she had a choice.

Time seemed to slow as Sakura focused on her hands crawling through the seals. In front of her, the last of the clones faded out of reality as a kunai tore through its incorporeal throat and Ino smirked, rushing towards her.

Beads of sweat trailed down her spine, soaking her dress a pinkish red, the color of blood. More and more chakra -her very life force- fled her frame, siphoned into the technique with each passing second and leaving her core raw and brittle with exhaustion.

'_Come on__…__ Almost there.' _

Platinum blonde tresses caressed her face, nose wrinkling before the jutsu clicked into place, the flow of chakra halting.

'_Now!'_

The mind walker slashed and Sakura ducked, pivoting, palms slamming against the small of her back. A flash of chakra shot forward, felt the energy sucked from her, grey haze swimming before her eyes and Ino gasped, kunai clattering from unfeeling fingers as she fell to her knees, eyes hazy.

A moment of silence passed, nothing but the ragged pants of Sakura trailing with the wind before the Yamanaka heiress pitched forward, vomited, the bile burning a ragged trail up her throat.

Sakura fell onto her ass, too exhausted to support herself and grinned as Ino continued to retch, "How'd you like my **Byouretsu no Jutsu**?" Straining, she pushed herself to her feet, arms feeling like leaden weights as she trudged forward, exhausted muscles burning as she forced them to move.

At least she hadn't passed out like last time.

A kunai slipped into her hand, the edge gleaming midnight black as Ino pushed herself back onto her haunches, face twisted into a scowl of disgust. Sakura smirked as she wound her way up to Ino, bladed edge softly pressing against the soft flesh of her neck.

"How about this Ino, I'll give you a chance to quit for old times' sake." The platinum blonde stilled and Sakura smirked vindictively, green eyes sparkling with pleasure, "All you have to do is surrender and I won't have to ruin my dress with your blood."

Ino blinked owlishly before turning, the sharp edge of the kunai leaving an angry red line as it trailed across her skin, "Come on Sakura, who do you think you're fooling?" The Yamanaka muttered, her eyes bright, gleaming within the darkness of her face, "You couldn't kill someone even if your life depended on it."

Silence descended upon the duo, Ino's confident gaze staring at the face of her rival, daring her to prove her wrong. A moment passed and she scoffed, hidden hands finishing the last seal of her jutsu.

"And that's why I'm going to win." Ino struck, hands flying towards her opponent, fingers locked in the secret seal of her family.

Frantic, Sakura lunged, ringed edge of the kunai whistling through the air, a hopeless, mad dash to knock her rival out-

But it was too late.

Ino's body collapsed, a puppet with its strings cut, the kunai passing harmlessly over her head and Sakura stilled, head bowed as the pulse of chakra, bright white, the color of a thousand suns entered her body.

The silence was deafening as Sakura raised her head, green orbs glinting pale blue in the sharp light, "Sorry Sakura, but this is it." A bruised hand rose, the movement stiff and jerky and gazing down from above, Naruto frowned in concern.

He didn't think Ino would have been able to beat Sakura, especially not after she had been hit by that weird technique -and the blonde demon host wrinkled his nose in disgust at that, he could still smell the stomach acid and half digested food from where he was- but here she was, and from what Kakashi-sensei had said, in his teammate's body.

It sounded disturbingly like the situation with him and the Kyuubi, the only difference being that he had a seal to protect his mind from the bijuu's influence.

Sakura had no such thing.

That did make him wonder though, what would happen if someone from the Yamanaka clan went into his mind? Would they see the demon, or would they be rejected by it?

But before he could further ponder the possibilities, a deep, breathless gasp, the sound like the last breath of a dying man echoed through the arena and down below-

Haruno Sakura's eyes snapped open, and the Seal of Heaven crawled across her frame.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"What the hell's _wrong_ with this place?"

It took Ino a moment to regain some semblance of mobility when she entered Sakura's mindscape, but once she had, the blonde couldn't help but scowl at the oddly decrepit condition of her rival's mind. There was something…odd going on in here, something not entirely natural.

Frowning, Ino walked up to one of the three walls surrounding her, running a perfectly manicured finger down its length and blinked, narrowing her eyes in thought.

A thick purple-black sludge coated the hallway she was in, smelling of dampness and decay, crackling with violet chakra every so often and Ino shuddered slightly at the slimy feeling, sending the deluge flying with a flick of her finger.

Wiping her hand on her bindings, the mind walker made her way down the narrow hall, idly eyeing the locked doors on either side. From what her father had explained to her, each one held a memory, but she didn't have nearly enough chakra or experience yet to even try opening one of them.

Besides, the human mind was a terribly powerful thing. All it would take was one small mistake, one small slip-up and the memories would overwhelm her very psyche, destroying any and all traces of her spiritual existence.

A second later and she was pulled from her thoughts by a blinding vision in front of her, the world exploding into washed out white.

A ghostly hand rose, watery eyes blinking away the black-white dots that swam dizzily across her vision as Ino looked into the large chamber. It was completely and utter silent, only the soundless crackle of electricity shearing through the void every few seconds.

Something disconcerting twisted in her gut.

Ever so slowly, her eyes trailed upwards, wide with foreboding. And as she stood there, a black wraith among the sickly luminescence of the floating nimbus; the world tinged an off-colour purple, Ino couldn't help but gawk in terrified silence.

It was a well known fact that the Yamanaka Clan could see minds of the people they possessed. They came in all sorts of colors, but the size and shape was always the same; a large, boulder-like nimbus floating in the middle of a giant room; the person's mindscape.

What changed though was the color and feel of the mind. From the crisp, cool sapphire of calmness, to the loathsome, blistering red of rage, it all depended on the emotional state of the person.

Either that, or if some other outside influence -genjutsu for example- was to blame.

However, the _thing_ in front of her was easily twice the size of any mind she had seen before, a red-black mountain covered in strange, flame-like seals that throbbed a sickly purple, a feeling she was never going to forget.

She was going to be sick.

Ino took a step into the chamber, then two, valiantly trying to fight off the bile climbing up her throat, acrid and bitter as the chakra-laden light washed over her, pulsing lightly and feeling of death, of eternal corruption.

She wearily edged around the two doors -the opening and rest gates- in the floor as she made her way to the hovering cloud, great lengths of metallic chains like coiling serpents covering every inch of their surface, the limiters of humanities potential.

Sharp pinpricks of icy white chakra bled from her fingers like steel bands beneath her fingertips, reaching towards the swirling mind, amethyst lightening lancing between her palms as she rested them along the surface. A flare of spiritual chakra echoed through the room, white hot and sparkling like diamonds, and the tendrils dug into the surface, chakra flowing.

Reaching deeper, the mind walker let her spiritual chakra flow towards the center, eyes closed; face a mask of concentration, "Almost there, almost… Got it!"

The chakra clicked into place, spreading beneath the surface like a pool of milk within murky ink, the edges a hazy grey. The world around her died, withered, and vanished from existence, the sounds muffled, barely heard through the blood pounding through her ears.

And as Ino quietly spun her web, the seals blared to life, blood red and growing like living flames, the chakra -her very life force- flying from her fingertips into the gaping void that had opened up beneath her palms.

'_What the _hell's_ going on in here!?' _Her mind screamed at her to get away, to run as fast and as far as she could and never look back-

But she couldn't… she _wouldn't_. She was Yamanaka Ino, heiress to the Yamanaka Clan and a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf.

She would _never_ give up.

A pulse of will power flared like a beacon within the dampness and Ino wretched her hands away from the floating mind, fingers grazing the scarlet red seals that raced along the surface, unfolding like springtime flowers.

She felt a shudder slither its way down her spine, knees turning to jelly as the ground quaked below her feet, rumbling like the belly of some great beast. A wraith of a breath, almost a hiss caressed the nape of her neck, smelling of the acrid tang of chakra.

Ino's grip on Sakura's mind loosened, the chakra withering, diving into the emptiness and she whirled in place -caught sight of purple-tinged skin, eyes an endless obsidian, seals like writhing flames dancing across flesh- and screamed.

Gigantic hands enclosed around her, squeezing, frigid to the touch yet burning with their intensity, "_You_…!" Hatred spilt forth like water from a broken dam, suffocating, abyssal eyes narrowing in remembrance and humming with fury, "Why are _you_ here!?"

There was no sound but Ino's thin whimpers, hands struggling at her side, desperately trying to form seals, to do something, _anything_, to get away from this beast-

A sound like steel shattering -high and keen and grating- sounded form below and Ino looked down, watched with wide, dilated eyes as purple chakra, the darkest of poisons, slithered from the walls, wrapping around the two gates, the chains -the very essence of the human soul- cracking, shattering, _disintegrating _into nothingness.

The last thing Ino saw was the poison seeping through the gates, opening them the smallest of fractions, heard-

"_GET OUT!"_

And then the world exploded.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Everyone felt the storm of chakra blaze across the arena and around them, the stones shivered and shattered and broke. Purple fire slithered across the ground like hungry feelers, and eyes like sparkling emeralds snapped open inside the virulent inferno.

Sakura lifted her head and stared with unseeing eyes, the whirlwind of energy shrinking, coalescing around her frame. Purple-blue flames, as brilliant as a flash of lightening flickered across her skin before she threw her head back and roared.

"_GET OUT!_"

A pulse of spiritual energy followed, and the blossom blazed into motion.

Bones shattered and tendons snapped underneath the unyielding fist and Ino chocked as blood spewed from her mouth, the world a hazy green from the savage pain. A moment later and her skull met concrete with a wet 'crack', star bursts -black-white and buzzing- exploding into her vision.

A kick caught her in the stomach and she folded around the limb like a piece of paper, rising into the air. Blood, thick and bubbly frothed from her lips as she gasped, her shattered jaw stitching with pain, and in front of her Sakura stepped back, the angry black flames fanning the sides of her face, trailing down her cheeks and disappearing beneath the collar of her dress.

Another fist rose, humming with power and Ino closed her eyes, thinking, _'I'm going to die__…'_

Before killing intent surged forth, sputtered, and died and the yellow haired kunoichi cracked open a blood encrusted eye, disbelief flashing as she watched Hatake Kakashi walk away with Sakura tucked underneath his arm, limp as a puppet.

Beside her, Hayate raised his arm, coughing, "Winner, Yamanaka Ino."

And Ino blinked once, twice, her vision trailing towards the unconscious kunoichi, thoughts whirring with a grim realization-

'_I never should have helped her.'_

Before the world unfolded into merciful black and she thought no more.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura opened her eyes, blinked, before a shaking hand shot up and she grabbed at her temples, a small groan of pain escaping through parted lips.

"You're awake." Her eyes drifted towards the sight of Kakashi-sensei crouching in front of her, the vial of smelling salts slipping back into his pouch, "How do you feel?"

"Wh… What happened?" Her thoughts were jumbled, her head throbbing, as if a thousand typewriters were ticking away within her skull. The concerned -was that _apprehensive_?- gaze of Naruto, not to mention the hovering Sasuke above her really didn't help the matter.

"You don't remember?" It was Kakashi again, but it sounded like he was far away, so very far away. All she wanted to do was fall back asleep, but a small, nagging sensation in the back of her mind just wouldn't _let _her.

Then it all came rushing back.

A flash of pain, her world exploding into a single, boiling hot point of agony within her chest and then-

Anger…

Power…

_Freedom__…_

Anguished tears bit at the corners of her vision, tears for what she had done, "Oh my god…" Sakura rose to her feet, eyes frantic in their quest for a flash of pallid yellow, "Ino… Where's Ino!?"

The next thing she knew, a set of vice grip hands were at her shoulders, forcing her to look into the mismatched eyes -one a brown, the other a red-tainted-black- of her sensei, "She's fine Sakura, Ino's just resting in the infirmary." The hypnotic suggestion slipped through the words, small but focused, "We can go and meet her when we are done here, got that?"

Twin sets of emerald grew hazy, like coarse stone before clearing. A single nod answered him, "Hai Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi let out a small sigh of relief, the forehead protector sliding back before his other eye curved into an eye-smile, "Now then, shall we go join the others?" It wasn't so much as a question as a demand.

Confused for a moment, the pink-haired kunoichi looked down at the arena floor, spotting the Hokage and his entourage of jounin, along with the genin waiting for them.

A few moments later and they were standing alongside the rest of the chuunin prospects. Sakura watched with hooded eyes as her two teammates went to join the other seven genin, the chosen few that had made it to the finals. And as she looked at them, she couldn't help but feel helpless. No matter how hard she tried, those two always seemed to be ahead of her.

Even stupid, carefree Naruto, the dead last in the Academy was pulling ahead.

An image of white hair and pale skin, of black eyes as dark as the darkness she used to fear as a child flashed through her mind.

…Then again, maybe he had been ahead of her all along.

Above her, the Hokage concluded his explanation of the final exams, "Now, if each of you will take a piece of paper from the box being passed around, we can determine the match ups for the finals."

One by one, the genin reached into the box and flashed the paper towards the scarred jounin recording the numbers. Once at the end of the line, he reached into it himself, pulling out a number for the missing Ino before passing the sheet to the Hokage, "I present to you your opponent."

"First match is Uzumaki Naruto against Hyuuga Neji." A flash of killing intent, thunder at point blank to the surrounding genin and pale white met narrowed sapphire, "Second, Rock Lee and Yamanaka Ino. Third, Aburame Shino against Temari followed by Nara Shikamaru verse Inuzuka Kiba. Lastly, the final match will be between Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara."

"You have been told your matches." The Professor spoke, steely eyes reminding Naruto of an age old katana, withered, but all the more dangerous for it, "The nine of you now have a month to prepare for the finals. Use that time wisely and I wish you all the best of luck."

The next moment, and he was gone, vanishing in a plume of off-white smoke. The gathered genin looked at each other, confusion plastered across their faces before Sasuke walked off.

The rest followed suit. Naruto watched as Sakura, after a quick glance towards Kakashi -who nodded- practically ran towards the infirmary and wondered if he should follow her. After a moment's hesitation, he decided against it. Ino hadn't been the most…pleasant of people towards him in the Academy, and he still wasn't sure about her feelings towards him.

Besides, he had better things to do, like meeting deranged old perverts for training.

A large, gleeful smile spread across the jinchuuriki's face at the thought. He couldn't wait to see what Jiraiya-sensei was going to teach him in the month before the finals.

Smiling, he made his way towards the exit, unaware of the single grey orb tracking his every movement.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

He had almost made it outside when he heard Kakashi call out his name, "Hey Naruto, wait up." Turning, the blonde watched as Kakashi walked to stand in front of him, his single visible eye unusually dreary.

A moment passed, then two, and Naruto began fidgeting underneath the oppressive gaze, thoughts rampant. Had he done something wrong, was he disqualified from the exam? Unknowing of his thoughts, the elite jounin continued to stare at him with that same, half tired, half disappointed look.

Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, Kakashi broke the silence, his words as deadly as any kunai.

"Why didn't you tell me Naruto?" The jinchuuriki blinked once, confused at the accusation, "I'm not just your teacher, but your leader. I need to know _all _of the skills you have so I can not only better command you on missions, but make sure you receive the proper training."

"What…?" The blonde idly picked at the scab on his arm, "What are you talking about Kakashi-sensei?"

The scarecrow stared at him for a long, hard moment before sighing. It seemed subtlety was lost on the knucklehead, "That fuuton jutsu Naruto, where did you learn it?"

For a moment, Naruto looked too stunned to speak; his mouth flapping open and shut like a fish, no sound issuing forth. Then a single thought went through his mind.

'…_Shit'_

He had to think of something _quick_, but what!? He couldn't just say he had been getting training from another sensei, who knows what the perverted scarecrow would do.

Naruto opened his mouth, ready to blurt out whatever came to mind when a hand on his shoulder stopped him, "He learnt it from me." Looking up, he saw the towering figure of Jiraiya standing behind him and almost cried manly tears of joy.

He had never been so happy to see someone in his entire life…

But most importantly of all, he was saved.

"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi nodded towards the legend, feet shifting slightly so he could get a better view of the Sannin, "I didn't know you were back in town."

"Just thought I'd stop by and see how the village was doing…" His eyes still hadn't left Kakashi's own wary orb, "…when I ran into Naruto here and decided to give him some pointers. That won't be problem, will it?"

Naruto could feel it, the slow, building pressure in the man beside him, a raw potential for action just begging to be released.

Kakashi had tightened his own frame, coiled to spring at a moment's notice. No, not to attack, he would never be so foolish, but to defend, "Some sort of heads up would have been nice." However, before the tension could mount any further, another familiar face came into view.

"Kakashi." Sasuke came from around the corner of a nondescript building, fingers deftly strapping a glove of some kind to his wrist, "I thought we were-" The last Uchiha abruptly cut himself off as he noticed the mop of blonde hair, black eyes narrowing slightly before moving towards the figure towering above the dobe.

It took him a moment to recognize the man, but he could never forget the picture of those ridiculous clothing from when he had seen it in the Academy textbook, "Jiraiya of the Sannin…" What was he doing back in Konoha with _Naruto _of all people? Iruka had said he had left the village shortly after the attack by Kyuubi thirteen years ago.

"Oh ho! It seems even the Uchiha has heard of me!" A grin plastered itself across Jiraiya's face as he launched into his introductory dance, finishing it off with a flare of chakra and an explosion of confetti.

A long minute of silence passed between the three remaining shinobi, each of them lost in their own thoughts about the Sannin before Kakashi finally turned towards Sasuke, eye crinkled into a crescent, "Why don't you head to the training ground Sasuke, I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Sasuke frowned, looked poised to argue, but finally shrugged, turning around and walking away.

"Naruto…" The blonde nodded, instantly understanding Jiraiya's intentions. He had learnt from a young age how to read people to know it they wanted him around or not. He didn't need to be a psychic to realize Jiraiya wanted to talk to Kakashi alone.

Sparing one last glance towards his two teachers, the blonde shot off after Sasuke without another word, leaving the two elite jounin to their thoughts. In the end, it was Kakashi that finally broke the silence, "So, when did you meet my student?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the veiled implication, "I found him practicing water walking on a river, by himself." His rage transformed into vindictive pleasure as he saw the cycloptic jounin wince, "Only took him half an hour to get the technique down."

"He _has_ always been the number one ninja at surprising people." Kakashi conceded, "So, mind telling me what else you've taught him?" It wasn't like him to be so forward, after all, a lot more could be accomplished with a more subtle approach, but he was somewhat _irked_ at having his student stolen from right underneath his nose.

"The same things he would have learnt from you, had you taken the time to teach him properly instead of just focusing all of your attention on the Uchiha." Kakashi opened his mouth to defend himself, only to snap it shut at the look of pure venom the Sannin shot at him.

"Naruto may be too kind hearted, too _forgiving _for his own damn good to see what you're doing, but don't think you can blind the rest of the world." Jiraiya took a deep breath, calming himself when he saw how Kakashi tensed in front of him, "In any case, you won't need to worry about Naruto anymore, I'll be taking care of his training up until the finals."

"Now wait, you can't just take my student away from me." No matter who he was, the Sannin couldn't just waltz in and take his student, the Hokage wouldn't allow it.

"Hatake, Naruto stopped being your student the second you decided to pawn him off onto someone else." The elite jounin flinched again, this time at Jiraiya's cold, tired voice, "What, did you really think I wouldn't find out about your little plan with Ebisu?"

The question may have been rhetorical, but he still needed to defend himself, "You know who Sasuke's going up against. Gaara of the Sand is a _jinchuuriki_, and an unstable one at that. Sasuke needs all the training I can give him if he wants to survive, training I wouldn't be able to properly give if I had to focus on both him and Naruto."

Jiraiya stared at him for a long, hard minute after that before finally sighing, a calloused hand rising to rub at the bridge of his nose, "Rationalize it anyway you want Kakashi, but the fact remains. You abandoned Naruto for the simple fact that you thought teaching the Uchiha would be easier, that teaching a genius would require much less effort than teaching the 'dead-last." A quick glare shut up the copy nin's retort, "But I don't care about that." He may have been a lot of things, but he wasn't a hypocrite.

After all, how could he hold against Kakashi the very thing he himself had done, however unintentionally.

Seeing the jounin's confused look, Jiraiya elaborated, "What I don't understand is why you decided it would be a good idea to hand Naruto over to someone you know for a fact disliked him."

Kakashi stared at the ground for several moments before answering, "Ebisu would be the perfect teacher for Naruto. You know as well as I do that he needs to re-learn the basics before moving onto what you and I can teach him."

"Let me ask you this." Jiraiya began and behind his mask, Kakashi blanched, "Naruto knows how to punch, how to kick, how to mould and control chakra. He knows how to jump, how to hide and how to defend himself. He knows how to do all of this, and more than that, he can do it _well_."

Jiraiya's grin was as cold as the winters of Snow country, "Now you tell me, how much more basic can you get?"

The silence between the two was deafening.

"So what happens now?" Kakashi asked, shoulders hunched, his visage that of a man who had been more than defeated.

Still standing across from him, Jiraiya regarded the scarecrow with an apathetic eye. He may have gone a bit overboard, but the man had it coming. Too long had Kakashi stood behind his title of genius, and the village, just as blinded by the glory, had only exacerbated the situation.

"In case you've forgotten Kakashi, you still have another student. I believe her name is Sakura, ring a bell?"

The one-eyed jounin grimaced at the verbal blow -you would think he would have gotten used to them by now- as the Gama Sennin continued, "I can guarantee you that little stunt during the preliminaries wasn't a onetime deal. So first, _you _need to take care of her."

Kakashi nodded immediately, relieved at the decidedly tame punishment, "And what about Naruto?" He ventured. He really didn't want to bring up this subject again, but he needed to know where he stood with the blonde sea urchin.

"Like I said, I'll be taking care of him until the finals." Stretching lightly, Jiraiya turned his back to the one-eyed jounin, "But remember this, because of your favouritism, you just gave up the chance to train the future Hokage of Konoha."

Then he was gone.

And Kakashi?

Kakashi stood there, rooted to his spot, a small, ceaseless thought of, _'the future Hokage of Konoha?'_ rumbling through his mind as one solitary stormy eye -burning with the sense of failure- rose to gaze in the direction the blonde had left.

It was going to be a long month.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Hey Sasuke, wait up!"

The Uchiha paused, looked back at the black ball of shredded clothing before resuming his calm gait.

He had more important things to worry about than the dobe.

"Oi teme, I said wait." The blonde finally reached him, huffing in aggravation, "Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?"

Sasuke glanced at him, then back down the road, hands ruffling in his pockets, voice clipped as he replied, "Training, maybe you should do some too for once."

"What's that supposed to mean bastard!? I bet I could kick your ass any day of the week." The Sharingan wielder stilled, turning, eyes alight with surprise at the blonde's gall.

Crimson flowered across black, twin tomoe swirling lackadaisically within the sea, "I'd like to see you try dobe." The seal in his neck flared to life, singing a low hum of sweet, sweet power but he smothered it ruthlessly.

Not now, not with Kakashi around.

Naruto met the crimson gaze head on; hands curling into fists at his sides and within its cage, the Kyuubi leered maniacally, answering the call of battle with a wave of red fire.

It bubbled up within the blue, tainting the orbs purple, the color of poison. Claws lengthened, taking the place of human fingernails, cut into the palm of his hand-

Some part of his brain recognized that he shouldn't be doing this, that Sasuke was his comrade, his teammate…that he was letting himself go too far…

He barely registered the appearance of another person until the man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, hefted him up-

The jinchuuriki felt the world dissolve.

Entire landscapes flew past in a wave of water color blurs, and then he was standing in the center of the clearing as the world reformed once again, "Can't have you hurting the Uchiha before the finals, now can we?"

It took Naruto a moment or two to realize where he had ended up, "Wh-What the hell just happened."

"That, my boy, was the **Shunshin no Jutsu**." Jiraiya stepped out from beside him and crouched, peering into the blood-red eyes and animal slits for pupils of his newest student, "Well, it looks like you're getting better at controlling the Kyuubi's chakra."

The wave of demonic chakra cut off as if someone had wrenched a faucet shut, eyes swirling back to cerulean. A taut hand rose, eyes watching as the claws receded and he shook his head like a beast, trying to get rid of the last bits of the red dancing across his vision.

"Yeah, I guess." He muttered, flexing his hand, "I didn't even have to force it out of the seal like I usually do. It was just…_there_." Naruto didn't know exactly how he felt about that. This was the Kyuubi, the strongest of the bijuu and just taking its chakra couldn't be good.

Then again, Jiraiya had assured him this was exactly what the seal was designed for. And despite the warning bells blaring off in his head, the power was too much of an advantage to just give up.

"That just means it'll be easier for you whenever you need to use it." The Sannin rose to his feet, dusting his hands off on the hem of his top, "But before we begin training, why don't you go home and get some new clothing…" A quick whiff later and Jiraiya wrinkled his nose in disgust, "…not to mention a shower while you're at it."

"Let's see you try and smell like flowers after five days in a forest you old pervert." Naruto glared, only to jump to the side in surprise as the Sannin lazily swiped at his head, "What did I tell you about calling me that, you brat!?"

Grinning, the blonde paused as another thought hit him, "Uh, sensei?"

The jounin looked up, surprised at the oddly hesitant tone, "Yeah?"

"I was wondering, with Hinata in the hospital…" Naruto trailed off, idly fingering a hole in his vest, thinking, _'Guess I gotta buy another vest__…__'_

"Oh? Does little Naruto want to go and see his girlfriend?" Jiraiya laughed at the expression that bloomed across the blonde's whiskered cheeks before waving him off, "Go, we'll continue training tomorrow."

Naruto nodded happily, launching himself out of the clearing when he heard Jiraiya shout, "Be here by seven, and don't be late."

"Who do you think I am, Kakashi?" Naruto yelled back. The roar of Jiraiya's laughter was lost amongst the wind whipping by his ears but he smiled nonetheless.

It was going to be a good month.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The sun was nothing more than a red drop of amber in the sky when he finally made it to the hospital.

Landing in front of the sliding doors, Narutp pushed his way through, marvelling at the size. A large, circular desk spanned from one end of the wall to the other, two identical hallways leading to who no where's on each side.

The lone receptionist hadn't even looked up as he entered; too busy chewing on the end of her pen as she glanced over some paperwork.

Naruto cleared his throat, "Um, I'm here to see Hyuuga Hinata."

She paused a moment, eyes trailing across his cheeks, then widening imperceptibly before she nodded, flipping through a set of sheets on a clipboard, "Hyuuga Hinata, she'll be in room 126."

Thanking her, Naruto began to walk away when she stopped him, "Wait, I'm not finished." She muttered, grumbling something dark about teenagers, "She was in ICU when she first came in and although the medic-nins have healed most of the damage, she's been put into a medically induced coma to help the recovery process. But…!"

Naruto quailed, scuttling back as the receptionist narrowed her eyes and leaned across the circular desk, "Visiting hours are almost over, you have ten minutes, if that. You're just lucky I like you, or you wouldn't even get that. So be quiet, stay out of the way, and don't touch anything when you're in there."

"Got it." Naruto shot her a mock salute and flew down the hallways, laughing as she yelled at him to slow down.

But that cheer died the further he walked, suffocating underneath the oppressive weight of dread, a dread that was slowly building in the pit of his stomach, churning, a ceaseless throb that only grew with each and every step.

Finally he stopped, turned, took a deep breath, and -wiping his clammy hands on the hem of his pants- turned the knob.

A sliver of light spilt across the walls as he entered, sunlight yellow and warm, a stark contrast to the rigidity, the mechanical unnaturalness of the room-

But even that small comfort was taken away as the door clicked shut behind him.

Machines lined the walls, thin and otherworldly, beeping their ceaseless song of life. The only source of light was from the red dials on the equipment -the curtains having been closed-, coloring everything an off-red that left long, monstrous shadows spanning the floor and ceiling.

He swallowed past the lump lodged in his throat and slowly, hesitantly, walked to stand beside the bed-

And had to refrain from wincing.

The Hinata he had known was gone, replaced by a thing neither human nor machine. Half a dozen tubes, each filled with a different liquid ran the length of her arms, some smelling of the coppery tang of blood, others; antiseptic.

A long, cylindrical tube disappeared past blue-tinged lips, and, attached to a respirator, the pump beat out a shallow rhythm, up, and then down.

"Uzumaki."

Naruto shifted slightly to face the dark corner, too numb to even be surprised as Shino melted out of the darkness, a shadowy spectre amongst the black. He nodded once, then returned his gaze to the bedridden figure, eyes downcast, "How is she doing?"

"Better." The bug user came to stand beside the jinchuuriki, "The nurses have informed me that Hinata will be released within the week. However…" Something cold rolled in his gut, "Her chakra coils have sustained serious injuries, a few of which she will never recover from fully."

"Oh…" Naruto muttered, his voice so very small, "Can she still…" He trailed off, unable to finish.

Shino nodded, having asked the same question a mere hour ago, "I have been assured she will be able to continue her career as a kunoichi."

Naruto sighed, shoulders sagging in relief as he let go of the metal railing on the bedside.

Twisted metal greeted him.

The next few moments were spent in idle silence, the two awake genin lost in their thoughts. A hand reached out and tucked away a stray piece of hair, fingers brushing pale skin, cold as ice and Naruto smiled sadly, trembling lips contorting into an adoring smile at the vision that met his eyes.

She looked like a small child, lost and alone. Her once rosy cheeks were nearly translucent in their weakness, eyelids spider-webbed with blue-red veins. Her eyes may have been closed, but he didn't need to see them to remember the way they had dulled, a white haze washing away the color from the outside in.

She looked dead…

His stomach lurched uncomfortably at the thought so he let it fade; reminding himself that she was here, that she was alive-

That he would never let this happen to her again, even if it was the last thing he did.

He didn't know how long they stood there, but by the time they walked out of the hospital, the moon was a white crescent of light hovering high in the sky.

They walked down the empty street in an amiable silence, both content to simply bask underneath the peaceful night sky and forget all that had happened, at least for the moment. So it was to the blonde's great surprise when Shino suddenly stopped, shadowed eyes gazing down a desolate road.

Squinting, Naruto stared down the path, hoping to see whatever his not-quite-friend saw, "Eh? Is someone there Shino?" He could have sworn he saw a flash of white…

The bespectacled genin simply shook his head, "It's nothing to be concerned about." He seemed to think for a moment before turning back towards the blonde, "It was nice meeting you Naruto, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

"Yeah, same to you." Naruto took the offered hand, "Good luck in the finals."

Shino nodded, glasses iridescent in the street lamps as he made his way down the road, the very same he had been staring at, "Good luck against Neji."

Naruto waited until Shino was out of his sight before continuing on his way home, thoughts centered on the white-eyed Hyuuga.

He was going to beat the genius, but not just that, he wanted to utterly _humiliate_ him, to grind his bones into the dust and dance on his grave.

For the things he had said, for the things he had done to Hinata -and his eyes bled crimson at this, incisors lengthening until they bit into his lower lip, red blossoming to the surface-, he was going to destroy Hyuuga Neji.

That was a promise.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You called for me, Hiashi-sama?" Hyuuga Neji stepped into the large room and bowed. Overhead, a high domed ceiling curved and oil lamps flickered on the walls, casting writhing shadows over the stoic face of the clan head.

Silence answered him.

Hiashi didn't bother looking up, content on going over the scattered pieces of paper on his desk and Neji bit back a sneer of disgust.

The quiet 'tap' of the pen on the mahogany desk signalled the end of the silence and the Hyuuga elder shifted, turning blank eyes towards the genin, "In preparation of the finals, I will be taking over your training for the duration of the month. Maito-san has already consented his agreement."

Neji's disgust disappeared underneath a ripple of surprise, "I…" Before the stoic facade returned and he bowed, "I am honoured Hiashi-sama."

The Hyuuga prodigy looked back up, waited, then realized that was all and made his way to the door. He was proven wrong a moment later when Hiashi's voice rang out, different than before, "Neji."

Neji didn't bother turning around, but looked over his shoulder nonetheless and met-

Hooded eyes, white knuckles, a mind ravaged by memories.

"I know you do not trust me." He nearly laughed at that, "But even if you never listen to a word of advice I give you from now on, listen to me this one time." There was a quiet rustling of cloth on cloth, and then Hiashi was standing beside him.

"I know you saw it Neji, the red chakra from Uzumaki." The branch member nodded tightly, remembering the vision of fire and blood and pain wrapping like a vice around his neck, "I want you to promise me something."

"If you see it during your match, I want you to quit." Hiashi continued, even as Neji whipped his head around to stare at the man in surprise, "This is not the clan head ordering you, this is your uncle _asking _you, if Uzumaki Naruto begins to use that red chakra in the finals, I want you to forfeit."

And then he was gone, walking down the hallway, disappearing around the corner and the genius was left to his thoughts.

'_Forfiet?'_

Neji scoffed, "I would rather die." Knowing the clan head could still hear him.

Strange chakra or not, it was Uzumaki's destiny to lose. The second he had become his opponent, the fates had turned against him…

And none may defy their fate.

A pale hand -swathed in bandages dirtied from practice- rose to rest on his forehead protector as he stepped into his room. The rigid metal burned against his palm, nimble fingers untying the knot to reveal the green symbol underneath, the reflection shining blue-green in the mirror.

Just as he had been fated to receive this mark, it was Naruto's fate to lose, to fall against his strength and crumble, unable to overcome the life of weakness destiny had set out for him.

Raking a hand through his hair, Neji let out a heavy sigh and made his way into the shower, emerging ten minutes later, the moon a white crescent of light hovering in the sky.

A towel flew into the hamper beside the door and he quietly slipped into bed, setting the alarm clock to '7:00' with a push of the buttons.

Sleep came easily after those five days in the forest -five days of fighting and running and fighting, back and forth until they had finally reached the tower-, and it was in the twilight realm of a mind both half-awake and half-asleep when he heard it.

The quiet, incessant buzz of miniscule wings.

A pale orb snapped open in the darkness, glaring at the offending insect, saw with clarity as the creature tilted its head, the move inherently inhuman.

Then it was over as a hand shot out from underneath the blankets and smothered the creature with an audible crunch. Only a discoloured stain remained as a testament to its existence and Neji sighed as silence pervaded, closed his eyes-

_Buzzzzzzz__…_

-and snapped them open.

Another insect landed atop the remains of the first, a long, sinuous tongue darting out, razor sharp, to pick at the blot in a morbid act of cannibalism. Then a second came, followed by a third, until the table by his bed was more insect than wood.

The buzzing grew louder.

Neji jumped out, arms flailing. A forearm swept across the tabletop, coming off on the other side died the red-green of insect blood and the lamp crashed to the floor, flickering on and off.

The buzzing grew louder.

His eyes swept across the room, across the ten thousand eyes that watched him, across the wall and stopped just long enough to catch a flash of something in between the flickering light. He turned, mouth half-open in horror, face chalk white as the insects marched across the wall, writing with their bodies-

_Then die_

Then all the insects in the world vanished, drawn up into a single, violent black-brown rush around him and Neji screamed, flying towards the light switch.

His palm met the wall with the sound of shattering wood and light blared to life within the room.

From his place on the floor, the Hyuuga prodigy cracked open an eye and saw-

Nothing…

No insects, no buzzing, no bloodied arm, just a shattered wall and a broken lamp.

Relief washed through him, rinsing out the horrid fear, "It was only a dream… it was only a dream…" The litany repeated itself, over and over and over again until it no longer sounded false and Neji slowly climbed back into bed, replacing the lamp to its original position along his way.

Had he not been so tired, he may have noticed the smudge of red-green on the table top, right beside the lamp.

Then again, Neji slept with his head under the blankets, so he might not have noticed it at all.

A moment later, unseen and unheard, another bug came to rest upon the spot.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Outside of the compound and far enough away to remain hidden from even the Hyuuga's eyes, Shino smiled.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Alright, that's enough." Naruto heaved, falling on his back, the kunai in his grip clattering to the ground beside him.

Jiraiya grinned in front of him, looking as pristine as ever. He had to give it to the brat, the sheer amount of stamina he had was amazing. He had the kid running around and attacking him since early morning, and the brat just kept on going.

"And what the hell are you smiling at?" Naruto glared from his spot on the floor, trying and failing to push himself up. His legs felt like they were being weighted down with lead, and it was all that smirking pervert's fault.

How had he ended up here again? Oh yeah, he had a deranged lunatic as a teacher.

Since the preliminaries had ended and the month long training session had began, he had only one task, one mission day in and day out, hit his sensei.

Once…

That's it, that's all he had to do, and the first part of his training would be complete.

He had grinned at the time, thinking of how easy it would be and rushed the Sannin. The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground, head ringing like a bell.

And now here he was; two weeks later and he _still _hadn't managed to lay a hand on the pervert, "Remind me again why I'm doing this?"

"How many times do I have to tell you brat!?" Jiraiya grumbled something about dumb blondes, but it was hard to hear past the blood rushing through his ears.

A canteen flew at him and he snapped it open, greedily downing the cold liquid, sighing as his tense muscles relaxed, "You have power, more power than I've ever seen in a genin. But what you lack is the speed and finesse to _use_ that power."

Naruto growled, arm arcing forward, the kunai from his side flying. Jiraiya caught it between two fingers with a smile, threw it back and the blonde dived to the side with a yelp, watching with haunted eyes as the piece of sharpened metal punched a hole through the ground.

"As I was saying…" The Gama Sennin glared, "…that's where the Hyuuga will get you. He is faster than you, and as long as he can avoid your blows, he will win." Naruto threw him an acidic glare and Jiraiya sighed heavily, taking a seat, "That's what I'm trying to teach you, how to catch your opponent even if they're faster."

He had found early on that pride was a soft spot for the boy. Even the slightest bit of criticism on his abilities as a shinobi would set him off, "I'm not trying to put you down and say you'll lose. You saw what he did to Hinata. Enough of those and even you, despite your stamina, will go down."

Naruto flinched, eyes shadowed behind a veil of blonde and Jiraiya stifled the urge to apologize, berating himself for his forgetfulness. Another one of his sore points was the Hyuuga heiress, and the Sannin could see why.

After all, they were two sides of the same coin.

Both of them had been forced into a role at birth, both of them were hated for things they couldn't control. That's when he had realized, when Naruto looked at Hinata, he didn't see the future leader of the most powerful clan in Konoha.

He saw someone railing at the world, _shouting_ to give them a chance and prove they could be everything everyone wanted them to be.

But above all else, Naruto saw himself.

That's why the brat wanted to beat Neji. He wanted to prove, not just to himself but to Hinata and the whole damn world around them that if you fight hard enough, if you never give up and believe, _anything _was possible.

And truth be told, Naruto had made a believer out of him.

"Okay… I get what you're trying to say." Jiraiya blinked, watched as Naruto pushed himself up on shaking arms and was pinned to the spot as he saw-

The shadow of an older blonde, a mantle on his shoulders; a prosperous village behind him and the most wonderfully beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

'_Minato…'_

Jiraiya closed his eyes, raking a hand through his hair. He had seen eyes like that before, so very long ago…

Only this time, they were in a boy not even half the size and he almost laughed at the irony of it all, of when he had seen an identical blonde in the chuunin exams nearly thirty years ago fighting a Hyuuga that went on to become the clan head.

"I know I'm not the best shinobi out there." Naruto smiled, and Jiraiya's heart ached at the familiarity, "Hell, I know I'm not even that good…"

Then the smile changed into something _more_, eyes narrowing and Naruto held up a fist, "But I _will _beat Neji, and nothing, not fate, not destiny, not even the gods themselves will stop me."

Jiraiya looked at the blonde for a long, hard moment before he smiled, then grinned, then laughed, "I _knew_ there was a reason I liked you!" He wiped at his eyes, still chuckling, "Okay, change of plans brat. I was saving this up for another time, but I guess you're ready for it."

Getting up, he moved towards the edge of their training ground, motioning Naruto to follow.

"Tell me, what do you know about Kage Bunshin?"

**XX AN XX**

And there you have it.

I had quite a bit more written, but in the end I got rid of it and placed it in the next chapter becuase I wasn't exactky finished and wanted to have this out by today.

Firstly, an explanation as to why my Sasuke seems a bit more volatile than in the manga.

His attitude towards Naruto mostly stems from the fact that he is, in fact, jealous of the power the blonde is gaining, even if he himself won't admit it. Unlike in the manga, Naruto has **readily **displayed a lot more of the Kyuubi's chakra in front of the other genin, and, well, as you saw in the last chapter, Sasuke knows that Naruto (when using that mysterious power) is stronger than him.

In turn, Sasuke, having felt something familiar when the curse seal was first activated, feels that the only way he can match up to Naruto is by using the "gift" Orochimaru has given him. And because of this, Sasuke is much more readily accepting the seal, his bond isn't as strong with Naruto, and his mind is more and more swayed towards Orochimaru and his offer.

At least, that's how I see it.

Now, some questions that arose from the last chapter:

Q – What the hell do Naruto's eyes do?  
A – Wait and see.

Q – Will Naruto go Kyuubi and revive Hinata?  
A – No.

Q – Could you post a picture of Naruto's eyes?  
A – I'm working on a sketch of sorts.

Q – Are Naruto's doujutsu powers a more natural form of psychic/spiritual power oriented more towards psychometry/dousing/clairvoyance?  
A – That last part is perceptively close to what they are supposed to do.

Q – Is Naruto going to try and get Tsunade to heal Hinata?  
A – Why would he do that?

Q – Will Tsunade be the Fifth or will Sarutobi survive and remain the Hokage?  
A – Try both.

Q – Will Naruto come into contact with the Shinigami?  
A – Both yes and no.

Q – Is Naruto's doujutsu related to precognition?  
A – Nailed it in one.

That's about it for the questions. Once again, if anything comes to mind or there is something you don't understand, feel free to contact me.

Oh, and review, please?

Remember, all comments and criticism is welcome, so until next time.

Ja ne!


	14. Backlash

**Title:** Rise Of Naruto: Shinigami's Touch

**Author:** Matrix_Explosion

**Pairing:** Naruto x Hinata

**Word Count:** 8,736

**Rating:** M (For Swearing, Gore, And Mature Situations)

**Date Submitted:** December 25, 2010

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

**Legend:**

**Jutsu Name**  
"Human Talking"  
_'Human Thinking'  
_**"Demon Or Summon Talking/Kyuubified Naruto Speaking"  
**_**'Demon Or Summon Thinking/Inner Sakura Talking'**_

**Summary(s):** There are three tiers of power in the universe; Humans, Demons, and Gods. Jinchuuriki have been created to harness the power of demons. Yet, nobody has been able to successfully harness even a fraction of the power of a god… until now.

How was the Kyuubi actually sealed? The Yondaime may have used the Shiki Fuujin, but even he doesn't have enough chakra to match Kyuubi. So he did the only thing he could… use the power and chakra of a God.

**XX AN XX**

Thought I'd at least post something in time for the holidays, and so to all, merry Christmas:

Here's chapter 14.

**XX AN XX**

**Chapter 14 - Backlash**

It was a library.

A _huge_ library.

Or at least what looked like one. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls, and each filled to the brim with books. Some looked old, some looked new, and some were almost crumbling to pieces.

Naruto walked further into the room, not quite believing his eyes. This place was bigger than even the central library in Konoha, and that place was gigantic.

And to think, this was only the library…

Beside him, Jiraiya smirked, it wasn't often he got to show anybody his home, "Welcome, Uzumaki Naruto, to my humble adobe. Impressed?"

The jinchuuriki nodded dumbly, looking around, and that's when he noticed them.

Jiraiyas', dozens of them, sitting randomly at the tables placed throughout the room, each with his own pile of books.

"So, mind telling me what's with the clones?"

"That's why I brought you here brat." The Sannin grinned at the glare sent his way, "Since you don't know squat about what makes them so special, I thought it would be better to show you instead of just telling you. Now make a clone."

The blonde snapped his hands into the familiar seal, shoving as much chakra as needed to make a single clone.

A poof of smoke later and Jiraiya watched as another Naruto exploded into existence while trying, and failing, to conceal a grin. No matter how many times he watched it, he was still amazed by the fact that a _genin_ could use such a technique.

Then again, being the host of a Bijuu must have some perks.

"Now Naruto, I need you to turn around. Clone Naruto I need you…" The toad user reached into his pocket and pulled out a book, absently flipping to a random page, "…to read this."

"Wha…?" Both creator and clone simply stared, before their faces twisted into a scowl. If the Sannin was just going to waste their time-

"I'm not asking you brat, I'm telling you." Jiraiya's eyes were as cold as ice, and just as hard, "Now do it."

Grumbling, the clone took the book and began reading. Moments passed in silence as Jiraiya waited, Naruto paced, and the bunshin read.

"Now stop."

The clone glared at him, "First you tell me to read; now you tell me to stop. Make up your mind ero-" Then he was gone as a flick of solidified chakra tore through his skull, the book falling into the waiting hands of Jiraiya.

Naruto stared.

Jiraiya simply smiled back.

"So… What exactly was all that for?" Naruto asked after a moment of awkward silence. It had always annoyed him when he didn't know what exactly was going on. Maybe it had to do with the fact that things had been kept from him his entire life, but whatever the reason, he bet the old pervert was having a lot more fun with this then him.

Jiraiya, however, simply began reading from the book, "Even if you kill me, another assassin will attack the village. There will be no peace. As long as we live in this accursed world of ninja…"

Naruto blinked slowly, eyes widening as words previously unknown flew to the forefront of his mind, "Then I will break the curse. If there's such a thing as peace, I will find it! I won't give up!"

There was a moment of silence, then, "Wait, how did I…?" He trailed off, confused eyes glancing across the room, across the dozen clones of Jiraiya, then back at the man himself, comprehension dawning within his blue depths, "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'." The book disappeared back into his pocket and Jiraiya smiled, eyes crinkling around the edges. For a supposed dead last, the blonde caught on quickly, "Now just imagine what a hundred clones could do when practicing chakra control, or fuinjutsu, or even reading multiple books."

Naruto's eyes widened even further at the thought, "I could get an entire week's worth of training in a single day." Sapphire eyes suddenly flew towards the toad user, almost frightening with their sudden focus, "So _that's _why you're so strong!"

Jiraiya stared at him for a moment before breaking out into laughter, "You wish brat. See those Kage Bunshin over there?" The Gama Sennin flicked his head towards the forty odd clones at the tables, "That's about all I can make without tiring myself out. Even then, they only have enough juice in them to last about an hour or two, and that's pushing it."

"Now come on, let's head back to the training ground." Jiraiya reached out, hand already forming the half-seal he needed for the Shunshin no Jutsu when Naruto's voice stopped him, "Actually, I was wondering…" Jiraiya looked down, a single hazy eyebrow raised.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled, a nervous habit he had tried, and failed, to break, "Well, I was wondering if I could leave some clones behind, you know, to read." He had never been welcome at the Konoha Library, and even the smaller library at the Academy barely tolerated his presence.

Jiraiya seemed to have come to the same conclusion; the confused look twisting into a warm smile as the Sannin nodded, "Go for it." Then shaking his head in bemused melancholy as Naruto jumped in joy. Even now, after spending all this time together, the brat will still worried that he would suddenly turn and being treating him like the villagers.

Hopefully, with enough time and patience, he would be able to break the boy from this shell, this instinct to expect the worse from people.

Hopefully…

Meanwhile, a grinning blond slammed his hands into the familiar cross-shaped seal, the air churning with power, power that Jiraiya could feel shuddering through his bones, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A storm of smoke spiralled around them, vanishing, and a thousand eyes fell upon Jiraiya's frame. It took him a moment to find his voice before he let out a low whistle, "How many did you make?" He would be hard pressed to make half the amount without passing out, at least not without sage mode.

Naruto merely shrugged, and Jiraiya was not too proud to admit that he wasn't surprised to find the genin not winded in the slightest, "I'd say about five hundred, I think that'll be enough."

Jiraiya merely smirked, "With those many, you could read my entire collection in a week." And with that, the Sage grabbed his shoulder and teleported, the world dissolving around them in a hazy of grey-black.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A moment of silence, and then they were back in the field, the lush grass swaying in the quiet breeze.

Naruto took a tentative step forward, the slight spike of adrenaline he always got from moving at such extreme speeds wearing thin as he turned expectantly towards his sensei, "So what now? Are you gonna teach me a new jutsu with the Kage Bunshin trick?"

To his surprise, Jiraiya shook his head amusedly, "Ha! You wish brat. No matter what it seems like, that trick won't help you learn jutsu any faster than you already do."

The blonde genin stared at him, hands clenching into fists at his sides. Flecks of red danced across his vision, spiralling outwards and he bit his lip to stop himself from screaming.

"T-Then what was all that time in your library for!" Naruto finally ground out, and in front of him Jiraiya frowned. He could feel chakra, dark and red and evil slowly rise out of his student.

Now _that _was alarming…

He flared his own chakra before things got out of hand, a beacon of light and warmth against the lurking darkness of Naruto's power, "Think about it for a second with that thick skull of yours. A jutsu has the same directions no matter who's learning it. If you're making a mistake somewhere, then your clones, which are _exact_ copies of you, will damn well make the exact same one."

Naruto's shoulders slumped, not even noticing the changes the power wrought through his body and beside him, Jiraiya put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It doesn't matter if you make ten clones or a thousand, the result will still be the same."

"Eventually, one clone may figure it out through sheer luck, but it's better to use that time and energy to figure it out for yourself." Internally, he was grinning up a storm. His teammates had always said he had a flair for the dramatic.

"However," Jiraiya continued, "The one thing Kage Bunshin is _ideal _for is chakra control."

He could practically hear the pervert grinning, "But you just said it useless for anything with chakra!"

"I said they're useless for _jutsu_." The Sennin countered, "Chakra control is different. Unlike techniques which are static, there are infinite ways to move and control your chakra. The more clones you have, the more chances there are of one of them figuring out the right method."

Seeing the blonde still wasn't convinced, Jiraiya continued, "Control of your chakra is learnt mostly with trial and error. By getting your brain used to knowing how much chakra is needed for a certain job, you will instinctively know how much to use for other things as well. Different for everybody." Finished, he nodded towards a nearby tree, "Now get to it."

"You're serious…" Naruto realized with mounting horror, "But… But you already said I had good enough chakra control. Hell, I can even do the water walking exercise!" There was no way he was wasting the rest of the month with useless exercises.

Two weeks of doing nothing but running around like an idiot had been enough.

"Oh really now?" Jiraiya questioned. He pointed towards one of the larger spruce trees in the area, "If you're so sure, then how about you prove me wrong."

Finally, a chance to take the pervert down a peg or two. Nodding happily, Naruto bound his way towards the two hundred foot tree, chakra surging towards the soles of his feet. Around him, the verdant grass yellowed and browned, shrivelling to dust beneath his soles.

He took a step onto the bark, and then another, chakra leeching into the tree with a soft hiss, the beginnings of a smirk forming across his whiskered cheeks before a sharp, loud 'crack' tore through the forest and he found himself flying through the air, wondering.

He hit the ground rolling and sprang to his feet, wide eyes staring at the monstrous crater he had left in the trunk of the tree.

Then, with a great, thunderous creak, the spruce collapsed underneath its weight. But even the monstrous tree hitting the forest floor with the force of a wind jutsu couldn't drown out Jiraiya's boisterous laughter.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Jiraiya chuckled, idly wiping a tear from his eye, "So what was this about you proving me wrong?"

"But… But I've already mastered tree walking!" Naruto began, only to fall silent, eyes wandering. What had all those hours training been for?

Jiraiya's voice was softer when he answered, the amused tone from before all but gone, "I'm not saying you didn't, what I'm trying to show you is that it doesn't matter, not after what you did during the preliminaries."

"After what I did?" Lost eyes glanced up at Jiraiya, pleading for an answer, and at that moment, the Sannin knew that for Naruto, for someone who, up until now, had nothing in this world but the belief in his abilities -as a shinobi, as a person, as a _human_ _being_-, to lose them would be a fate worse than death.

Jiraiya smiled at him, a small, sad thing filled with understanding and pointed towards his stomach, answering as honestly as he could, "When you went against Neji, you weakened the seal Naruto." Here the toad user stopped as Naruto's eyes widened, pupils dilating as something dark and horrible formed in his brain.

_A shriek of torn paper, a vision of darkness, of red sweeping power that engulfed him from the inside out. _

And he remembered the rage, the hot pulse of anger that rose like a beast intent on consuming the world when he had seen Hinata fall.

"There's a reason it's beginning to get easier and easier to call the demon's power." Jiraiya continued, and Naruto's face was as pale as milk as he listened, the words condemning with every syllable, "It's not that you're getting better at controlling it. It's that the seals weakening because you _can't _control it."

Naruto's voice, when he finally spoke, was but a whisper, "But you, you said that it would be okay…" And the fear that had been coiling in his gut transformed, turning into a scathing rage that flew from his mouth as cold, biting words, "_You _said that I could use it, _you_ said that it would be okay-"

The genin's shoulders hunched, hands falling limply to his sides as the rage vanished, resignation sweeping in as unrelenting as the tide, "You said that I could trust you…"

Jiraiya's body ached with regret as he heard those words and he lowered his head in shame. There weren't many people Naruto trusted, and he had taken that trust, that precious gift, and broken it.

"Naruto," The hermit began, his voice sounding as old as he felt, "that's part of the reason why I taught you the trick with the clones, why I'm out here right now with you trying to teach you chakra control instead of with the Hokage planning to seal you completely."

He knew he should feel betrayed at the admission, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. The Hokage, above all else, had a duty to the village. And as much as it hurt to admit it, to the old man, the village was more important than one unstable jinchuuriki.

"So how's this going to help?" The blonde gave a vague, defeated nod to their surroundings, "How will learning more chakra control help?"

The sides of Jiraiya's mouth twisted into a miserable grin, "There's a reason the Kyuubi was sealed into you. Even as a newborn, you had exceptionally strong chakra, strong enough to keep a sealed demon at bay." And it was the truth, at least partially. He doubted Naruto was ready to hear the rest of it right now, "Only by being able to control your own chakra will you be able to control the demons."

"That's how all of this is going to help." Jiraiya shrugged, tilting his head back to stare into the mid-day sky. It was beautiful this time of year, the pale blue of the sky an endless ocean that stretched on for as far as the eye could see.

And he wished with all his heart that he could just fly away, just vanish into the deep blue and never look back. But he had run for long enough, from his village, from his friends-

Turning, he looked towards his charge from the corner of his eye and he made his decision.

-from his responsibilities.

Two hands grabbed at his shoulders, steadying him and Naruto looked up into twin orbs of brown, heartbreaking with their honesty, "I admit, it's my fault, but all I need is one more chance, that's all I'm asking for, and I _promise_ you I will make things better."

Naruto looked at the man for a long, hard moment, staring into the simple, unadulterated openness that Jiraiya had shown him before he smiled, then grinned, then laughed.

It chilled Jiraiya to the bone.

It was the kind where all you could do was laugh, because otherwise you would be breaking down in tears from the absurdity of it all.

"Stupid ero-sennin." The blonde genin wiped at his eyes and for once in his life, Jiraiya couldn't tell if they were tears of joy or sorrow, "If I can forgive most of the village for the way they treated me, do you really think I'm going to hate you?"

Jiraiya's heart twisted in his gut with regrets even as he chuckled alongside his godson, valiantly trying to hold in his own tears -tears for his mistakes, and for the boy who had to suffer because of them-.

The two flashed each other a brittle smile before Naruto took a deep, shuddering breath, straightening, "So, what about that other part of my training you were talking about."

And with that hidden acceptance, Jiraiya knew that the blonde had forgiven him. He could only marvel at the determination, the pure force of willpower that had kept him alive till now, "Fine brat, I guess we could finish the day off with that." The Sage paused for a moment, stroking his chin in thought, "Tell me, have you ever tried forcing chakra into your muscles?"

Memories of his mission with Team 8 flew threw his mind and Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I've tried it. Not that much though…" The jinchuuriki trailed off, sweaty palms going to rest over thighs that still burned with phantom fire.

Keen as ever, Jiraiya noticed the small tell and smiled, ivory teeth glinting, "Let me guess, burned like hell, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did. How did you-" Naruto started, before he shook his head, "Never mind. So what, you're going to teach me how to do something I already know?"

"No, I'm going to teach you how to do it _better_. There's a reason you're legs feel like they're on fire every time you try it." With the amount of chakra Naruto pumped into techniques, the amount of damage he must have done to his legs was extraordinary. It was nothing short of a miracle the boy was still walking, even with the Kyuubi.

"Let me guess, chakra control." The last Uzumaki muttered angrily. He was really beginning to hate those two words.

"Got it in one." Jiraiya raked a hand through his white hair, thinking back, "Hell, most shinobi don't even bother with it because of the damage it causes, even to those with exceptional chakra control." Then he grinned, teeth flashing, "But with enough training and some help from your healing ability, it's the perfect technique for you."

Jiraiya waved his hand theatrically, as if showcasing an unseen image, "Just image, pushing your body to the absolute limits with nothing but chakra." Naruto's grin grew to match Jiraiya's, and he had to smother the urge to laugh maniacally, "With the control you have now, you could never use the technique effectively in battle, but that's why we're here."

There was an iridescent flash of silver, and Naruto looked down at the kunai embedded near his feet. He picked it up; marvelling at the small seals carved along the hilt and up the edges, at the lightness of the metal as the bladed edge ran over his fingers.

The jinchuuriki glanced up at Jiraiya, who smirked, "Now get to it."

Hands came together into a cross-shaped sealed, and chakra, blood red and blue, ignited the air around them.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime spared his elite jounin a single glance and simply waved him to the wooden chair in front of his desk, "Have a seat Kakashi."

A long minute passed, the air filled with only the shuffling of paper until the aged Sarutobi put the last of the documents away, cleared his throat, and pulled out his pipe. A single tap settled the tobacco, and he lit it with a burst of fire from his fingertip.

A long, deep drag later, and Hiruzen turned his gaze towards the jounin in front of him, "So Kakashi, I take it you have been busy training your students for the finals?"

Kakashi smiled from beneath his mask, "Progress is going a bit slower with Sasuke than I expected, but I'll definitely have him ready for Gaara by the end of the month."

"That's good to hear." Kakashi beamed with pride, even as the Hokage continued, "And what of Naruto, how is his progress coming along?"

The one-eyed jounin blinked once, shifting slightly in his chair, "I wouldn't know Hokage-sama." He answered carefully.

Sarutobi nodded, as if expecting the answer, "Now correct me if I'm wrong, but you're telling me that you left one of your students, _without_ any instructions or scrolls of any kind I might add, in favour of another?"

The copy-nin hid a wince, "If I may explain myself Hokage-sama." He waited until their leader nodded, eyes as steely as forged iron, before continuing, "Sasuke is going up against the jinchuuriki of the Ichibi. If he is to survive, let alone win, he will need all the training I can give him without needless interruptions."

The Sandaime's piercing gaze pinned him in his seat as the other man leaned forward, mouth a flat line, "And if you think Sasuke, with the proper training, will be able to beat Gaara, then surely Naruto, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi itself, would be able to best the Ichibi's vessel."

"About that… Naruto is facing a Leaf-nin. At most, his loss will result in nothing more than a few bruises." Sarutobi's skin crawled in disgust at the matter of fact way the scarecrow talked of his student's loss, "Sasuke's opponent, on the other hand, is a jinchuuriki, an unstable one at that. I'm sure you understand exactly _how _dangerous he is."

He then shrugged, the jounin vest crinkling noisily in the silent room, "Besides, only _I_ can teach Sasuke how to properly use his Sharingan, so I thought it would be best if I just focused on him for the month before resuming regular team training practices."

"So you decided to leave Naruto behind because you assumed only you could teach Sasuke how to properly use the Sharingan?" Kakashi took a few moments to think the words over before nodding resolutely, "And what of the hundreds upon hundreds of scrolls that still fill the Uchiha Clan library?"

Hiruzen's tone was neutral, but there was a hint of cold fury unlike anything Kakashi had ever experienced before.

Kakashi opened his mouth, then closed it and sighed, shaking his head, "Honestly, I don't see what the problem is Hokage-sama. I left Naruto under Ebisu's care because he could teach him what he _needed_ to learn, while I dealt with Sasuke."

"And what arrangements did you make for Sakura?"

Kakashi stared at him for a long moment, blinking owlishly, "Excuse me?

"Haruno Sakura, your third student. What arrangements did you make for her during the month long break?" With the way Kakashi's face twisted into a grimace, the aged Hokage had his answer. Nevertheless, he had to know for sure. "Did you leave her scrolls, or was another jounin willing to take over her training for the month?"

The jounin flinched, but covered it up almost immediately, "I didn't think Sakura was ready for training…" Kakashi's visible eye narrowed in thought, "…especially after her little incident. So I thought it better to let her rest after the sealing, just in case the curse seal began acting up again."

Hiruzen hummed, tapping his pipe against the aged wood of his desk. A wisp of smoke left his nostrils as he exhaled, smelling of tobacco leaves and pinewood as it trailed through the air, vanishing.

"But you believed Sasuke was."

It was that kind of conceitedness, that kind of unfounded arrogance that created shinobi like Orochimaru. It was the belief that just because a shinobi was faster at learning certain things, that just because their mind was a bit sharper, they were somehow different-

_Somehow_ _better_

-than those around them.

It was a mistake he had made, and it had torn his team apart.

He would not let it happen again.

"You still don't get it Kakashi." The God of Shinobi leaned back in his chair, hands crossed on the desk in front of him, "I don't care that you're training Sasuke. What bothers me is that you didn't take Naruto _and_ Sakura along with you to give them the same training."

The copy-nin leaned forward, but a wrinkled hand stopped him, "I've heard your excuses Hatake, and that's all they are, excuses." Eye's as tempestuous as a winter storm bore into Kakashi's own, "You say you didn't take Naruto with you because he would interfere with Sasuke's training. You didn't take Sakura because of the curse seal's instability."

"Yet all you had to do was let Sasuke copy your techniques with the Sharingan, and then he could practice by himself while you trained Naruto." The sky rumbled outside, heralding the oncoming storm-

But even that would have been warm in comparison to the wrath he could feel reverberating through his bones, "If you truly thought the curse seal was such a danger, you wouldn't have risked Sasuke so soon after his meeting with Orochimaru."

"Even with that all-powerful Sharingan of yours, you're still blind to what's in front of you."

Thunder shrieked high and thin outside the window, and the room was plunged into silence.

"Answer me this Kakashi…" He leaned over his desk, stared at the jounin across, mouth hidden behind weathered hands, "What have you taught all three of your students?"

"What?"

"Tell me specifically." He paused, gauging the younger man's reaction, "What techniques you have taught all three of your genin."

Kakashi's eye flickered towards the Hokage, throat bobbing as he swallowed nervously, "I've taught them the tree walking exercise."

Sarutobi simply stared at him, watching, waiting, and after a long moment, Kakashi heaved a sigh, gaze settling on the Hokage Monument looming outside of the window, a dark wraith amongst the grey clouds, "That's it…"

"I see…" Hiruzen nodded to himself, as if coming to a decision, "I guess that leaves me with no choice. As of this moment, Team 7 is officially disbanded."

The copy-nin's eyes widened, mouth flapping open as he stood, took a halting step forward, cut of as Sarutobi pinned him to the spot with glacial eyes, "You have failed as a teacher Kakashi. It was your duty to teach them, to nurture their strengths and address their weaknesses. But not only did you fail at that, you succeeded in accomplishing the exact _opposite_."

"There is a reason we even _have _genin teams to begin with." The Sandaime's eyes narrowed in impotent rage as he continued, "To teach the young ninja enough to keep them happy and loyal, but not so much that if they become missing nin, what they have learnt is of no consequence."

It was at this moment that Kakashi thanked the gods for small miracles, for the fact that the Sandaime didn't know of him training Sasuke even after he had dismissed his other two students.

"But with how you have treated your team, it's no surprise why Orochimaru sought out Sasuke, why Naruto jumped at the chance to be trained by Jiraiya."

The jounin hid a wince. And here he had been hoping he could tell the Sandaime of Jiraiya stealing one of his students.

Not that it mattered now.

"I… For what it's worth, I apologize Hokage-sama." He lifted his head and met the Hokage's eyes with his own level stare, "I made mistakes, and I don't have any excuses…" And his voice cracked and shuddered, breaking halfway through -just like his team- and Kakashi hated himself for it, "…but _please_ reconsider."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to Kakashi." Though his words were harsh, there was far less venom in his voice than before, "But my decision stands." The Hokage muttered, and Kakashi sat back down with a thud, shoulders sagging in defeat.

For a moment, there was this odd, tingling pain behind his covered eye -a gift from Obito-, before numbness, cold and unyielding, flowed through his body.

"After the Chuunin Exams are over, you will be transferred to a position that better suits your abilities." Sarutobi's heart ached for what he was doing, but better to snip the root of the problem then let it blossom, "Naruto will begin training earnestly under Jiraiya, and Sasuke and Sakura will be placed on teams accordingly."

A withered hand rose, waved towards the door, and Kakashi got up, bowing low, low, low, "Hai Hokage-sama."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Jiraiya looked up.

The sky above was the dull grey of unpolished silver and lightening burned across the clouds in flashes of blue-white, smelling of ozone, "Alright brat, that's enough for today. It's going to start raining pretty soon."

Naruto -the original- stopped mid-step on his way down, nodding, even as his feet slid down his fourth tree of the day, long fissures opening in their wake as his concentration wavered. It had been a long two hours, and he had yet to make it a third of the way up.

He almost sighed in relief, and was about to let go when Jiraiya spoke again, "Now hold it there."

Tired as he was, it took Naruto a moment to process the words before they clicked.

"_What_!" The blonde bellowed. Jiraiya walked to stand beside him, the scroll vanishing into his sleeves, "I said hold it, just like that, for two minutes." Then the Sage grinned, and the kunai in his hand was gone.

Slowly, deliberately, the Sannin brought the blade to rest below the blonde, "Just some extra incentive." He added with a small smile.

"Sadistic bastard." Grumbling angrily, Naruto shot the pervert a withering glare before he closed his eyes, legs straightening as he focused on the chakra coursing through the soles of his feet.

Bit by bit, sensation by sensation, the forest around him disappeared, until all he could hear was the constant 'click' of his clones running up the trees, until all he could feel was the slowly building agony as his bones began to creak from the stress.

The first minute passed.

His legs began to tremble, more and more with each passing second, until it was all he could do to hold himself still. Sweat ran in rivulets down the bridge of his nose, where it inevitably fell, pulled by gravity onto the pointy edge of the kunai that still hovered below him.

Thirty seconds left.

The pain in his legs continued to grow, like someone was pouring molten slag through his veins, and Naruto let out a slow, shuddering breath as his vision grew hazy, his feet beginning to slide as his control spluttered.

His legs gave one last, great shudder as Naruto's eyes widened, _'Don't you dare give out on me, you hear me legs!' _And the flow of chakra flickered, once, twice, before vanishing.

Almost lazily, Jiraiya reached out and grabbed the falling genin, "Congratulations, you lasted seven seconds longer than I thought." Naruto sagged in relief as the Sennin lowered him to the forest floor.

The moist grass was a godsend and he rolled up his pants, letting his aching legs rest against the cool ground. Idly, he slipped of his sandals -slick with sweat and grime- to bury his toes into the soil, watching with half-lidded eyes as dirt and pebbles ran down the valleys of his toes.

But it was all too soon that his reprieve ended as Jiraiya cleared his throat. Naruto tilted his head back, looking towards his teacher through twin slits of blue.

The toad user regarded him with a raised eyebrow, "You know, it might help with the exhaustion if you, oh I don't know, dispelled the clones?"

Naruto sat there for a moment, uncomprehending, before he looked towards the sea of blondes still running up the trees. A sheepish grin spread across his whiskered cheeks as he scratched the back of his head, chuckling weakly, "Hehe, I guess I forgot about them."

A pulse of chakra raced outwards, the grass around him swaying in the unnatural wind and the Kage Bunshin vanished in a plume of smoke.

There was a pause.

Naruto blinked once, twice, pupils dilating until all he could see where twin pools of blue rimmed black, swaying like a sapling in a storm, sweat beading across his brow-

And then he collapsed.

The Sannin frowned, scratching his chin in thought before a smile rippled across his face, "Aha! Information overload, I'm such a genius." He resisted the urge to pat himself on the back when he realized exactly what this meant.

There was no knowing exactly _when _he would recover, and Jiraiya was willing to bet his entire fortune that the brat would blame him for this.

With a sigh, he hefted the blonde jinchuuriki over his shoulder and made his way into Konoha.

Some days, it just wasn't worth getting up in the morning.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Blood splattered across his face, and he shook his head like a beast, trying to fling it out of his eyes. His once pitch-white hair smacked against battered cheeks, leaving twin trails of red in their wake._

_Five bodies stood in front, one at his feet, but blood did not flow from their wounds, and no heart beat within their chests._

_How could it, when they were already dead?_

_And there were voices, two of them, screaming in his ears, _how ling_ at him to get it together -to get up, to fight, to survive- but he was tired, so very tired. All he had to do was close his eyes, and he could rest._

No

_He had failed enough already._

_An arm reached out, finger blaring with chakra, scrawling the last message of a dying man._

_The five came at him, harbingers of death, but they were two late._

_His arm fell limp, and he leaned back, a small smile flittered across his face._

_It was enough-_

"-ruto! _Naruto_! Come on brat, wake the hell up!"

A slit of blue peered open, a white pentagram spinning around an ashen pupil, and Naruto raised a hand to block the sunlight blasting through the curtains, "Ugh, wha'… The hell's goin' on?"

The air smelled of rubbing alcohol and iron, the antiseptic stench of a hospital, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Glad to see you're awake…" Naruto's face jerked towards the yawning window, and he winced as a dull, throbbing headache overtook his thoughts. Jiraiya was sitting there, calm as ever, arm resting on a bent knee, "…you had some people worried."

Propping himself on his elbows, the blonde jinchuuriki let out a groan and let his head rest against the rough wall, eyes closed, "So, how exactly did I end up in the hospital?" He would bet a year's worth of ramen that the smug bastard had something to do with it.

"Kage Bunshin backlash." Jiraiya answered, coming to stand beside his bed. At the genin's raised eyebrow, he elaborated, "When you dispelled all those clones, the information you got from them was too much for your tiny brain to handle."

"Yeah, yeah, fuck you too." The headache was only getting worse as timed passed, and he grabbed the glass full of water on the table beside him, greedily downing the refreshing liquid in four quick gulps.

The cool liquid did wonders on the brittle pressure behind his eyes, and Naruto let out a sigh of relief, tense shoulders sagging.

It was then that he noticed the three bouquets of flowers, one a yellow-orange of the sun, one the deep purple of twilight, and the last the bright red of an inferno. Three letters sat snugly within the petals, and he shot the pervert a glare when he saw that they were already open.

Ever so slowly, Naruto reached out, trembling hands grabbing the one nestled within a field of purple.

He flicked it open-

_Naruto-kun,_

_Hope you get better soon._

_Love, Hyuuga Hinata._

"Hinata-chan…?" Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion -and Jiraiya smirked, counting down in his head- before the blonde turned towards him, his expression thoughtful, "Wait, she's out of the hospital already? But I thought-"

_Three__…_

_Two__…_

_One__…_

The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck rose as a horrible, horrible thought came to mind, "Hey Jiraiya-sensei, how long was I out for?"

Jiraiya hummed in mock-thought, smiling, "I'd say a little over two weeks."

"Oh…" Naruto managed. A second later and he bolted upright, hurling himself towards the closet. He quickly slipped on the maroon shirt and black pants, the brand new crimson vest sliding snugly over his shoulders a second later.

And in the distance, fireworks blared to life in the azure sky, and Naruto cursed, turning to look out the window. Even from where he was, he could see the thousands of unidentifiable faces that lined the stadium, waiting for a show.

He whirled around in a flash of red on black, moving towards the door when the pervert's voice stopped him.

"What's the rush?" The aged Sennin smirked as he bit his thumb, a drop of blood coalescing on the surface, "Besides, I've got a better way than running in through the front door."

His hand shot out, lightening fast, and he grabbed his student before hurling them both through the open window, one laughing, and the other screaming.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Chouji." Sakura smiled towards the last remaining member of Team 10, the only one who hadn't made it to the finals, and nodded towards the empty seat beside him, "Can I sit here?"

And Chouji -simple, kind, _forgiving_ Chouji- narrowed his eyes, the chip stopping half way towards his mouth as he pinned her with a withering glare.

The pink haired genin quailed underneath the gaze, "Um, never mind." She muttered, before quickly stepping over a pair of legs and disappearing down the aisle.

In all honesty, Sakura knew she shouldn't be surprised by the cold treatment, especially after what she had done to Ino.

Not that it was a big deal. The other genin didn't care. It had been a contest, and they were to win using any means necessary.

But not Chouji.

To him, Ino was more than a teammate. She was the one who had become his first friend, the one who stood up for him when everyone else put him down.

And most important of all, she was the one he had secretly admired for as long as he could remember.

Walking aimlessly, the emerald-eyed kunoichi wondered if things would ever be the same.

Remembering how Ino had reacted after the preliminaries, Sakura hung her head, emerald eyes, glossy.

"_Kakashi-sensei?" The elite jounin hummed, tearing hooded eyes away from the back of his blonde student. _

_Sakura stood behind him, hands wrung in front of her, toe scuffling the cracked pavement, and Kakashi smothered the urge to pat her head, "I was wondering if I could go see Ino…" She trailed off, lost eyes stalking towards the infirmary._

_An eye-smile greeted her, "Maa, you don't need my permission Sakura." He glanced towards Naruto, watching as the jinchuuriki disappeared around the corner, "Now shoo, I've got something I need to take care of here."_

_The cherry blossom smiled and fled down the hallway with frenetic speed, only to grind to a halt moments later, wide eyes staring at the bandaged form of her childhood friend._

_Ino was sitting on a gurney, a thick, bulky collar splattered with blood hinged around her neck. Long strips of bandages were wrapped around her chin, trailing down and disappearing beneath her ripped dress._

_Even now, she could remember how Ino's jaw had shattered underneath her fist, the way her head had snapped to the side, the tender muscles of her neck snapping beneath her unrelenting fury._

_A large bruise coloured the left side of her face, dark blue and purple lined with red, the once vibrant eyes rimmed black like a racoon, and Sakura could not hold back the tears that burned down her cheeks as she walked to stand beside her one time friend._

"_Hey Ino-pig," Sakura whispered, a hand resting on the Yamanaka's forearm. She winced at the clammy feeling of her skin, at the cold that leeched all warmth from her fingertips, "Feeling better?"_

"_Sakura…" The kunoichi paused at the lack of insult, blinking, "Tell me this…"_

_Ino turned black eyes towards her rival, her face a mask of emptiness, "Why?" She finally forced out, voice hollow, hands curling into fists at her sides, "Why did you do this to me?"_

_And the emptiness transformed, cut lips twisting into a wrathful snarl, eyes narrowing as she slapped away Sakura's hand._

"_I _made_ you, turned you from a weak, wallflower of a girl into someone who could walk with her head held high, and _this_ is how you repay me?" The raw hatred in her voice had Sakura taking a step back, "If I had known this was how you would end up, I would have never helped you back then."_

_Sakura flinched as if struck, stuttering, "I… I'm so sorry Ino, but-" She was cut off as Ino screamed, spittle flying to hit Sakura in the face, "Just look at me, look at my face!" The Yamanaka grabbed her hair, forcing Sakura's head forward as she roared-_

"_LOOK AT ME!" _

_-and terror unfolded across the young kunoichi's face as she turned to look at her friend, bitter tears leaking down her cheeks at the madness that twinkled within the cornflower blue orbs._

"_See these wounds!" The hysterical genin pointed at the deep lacerations running down the side of her face, a gift from when her face had met the pavement, "See my beautiful, _perfect _face? It's ruined because of you."_

"_But why would you care?" Ino leaned back, the fury fading from her eyes, only to be replaced with a vicious delight, with a need to hurt the one who had hurt her, "You've always been ugly, both on the inside and the outside."_

_Sakura stared at her with glistening eyes, legs going out from underneath her as she collapsed onto the chair, and Ino's sneer widened, "You've never had to take care of your looks. Never had to worry about how other saw you because-" And she knew what was coming, wished that she could plug her ears and run away-_

_But there was no running from the truth._

"_-you're not from a clan. You don't know what it's like to be a heiress-" Ino heaved a breath, a trickle of blood leaking from the side of her mouth, "-to have to worry about each and every move you make, how you look, how you _fucking_ act."_

_And she coughed, blood spraying from her mouth in a fine mist, the sound harsh and crackling, her face lined with pain._

_Sakura could scarcely breathe, chest constricting at the utter loathing in Ino's voice. She didn't know how to deal with this anger, this blind rage directed at her._

_Ino screamed, a thin, high pitched sound that struck Sakura like a physical blow before the beaten kunoichi collapsed, knees drawn to her chest, forehead resting across bandaged arms as skinny shoulders shook once, twice, silent tears streaking the thin hospital blanket._

"_W-Why…?" She finally whispered, voice quivering, breaking and Sakura's heart seized in her chest. How could she explain this, when she didn't even know _why _she had done what she did-_

_No._

_She knew, as much as she tried to deny it, she knew why she had snapped, could still feel the lingering jealousy blistering in her soul._

_But Ino couldn't know, not now, not ever, and so Sakura shook her head, reaching out to run a shaking hand down platinum locks, "I don't know Ino… I just don't know." _

_And she leaned forward, wrapping thin arms around a broken girl. Ino fell into them with a shattered sob, burying her face within a curtain of pink as Sakura held her, silent tears running their course._

_They didn't speak, and moments later, they drifted off to sleep, content in each other's arms._

_A long minute passed before Kakashi walked out of the shadows; pried the death grip Sakura had on her blonde friend and hoisted her over his shoulder. Gently pulling the blanket over Asuma's student, he melted back into the darkness, appearing in the room he had been with Sasuke scant hours ago._

_He had already sealed one student, and now he was going to seal another._

"Sakura-san?"

Sakura stumbled to a stop, turning. The lilac eyes of Hyuuga Hinata greeted her, and she shook her head in a vain attempt to rid herself of the memory, "Hey Hinata, when did you get out of the hospital?"

"A-About a week ago." Hinata smiled, patting the empty seat beside her and Sakura sat down with a small smile of her own, "The d-doctors say I will make a full recovery."

"Well, that's certainly good news." Sakura muttered, turning towards the arena as the finalists entered…

Wait a minute.

"Hinata…Where's Sasuke-kun and Naruto?" Beside her, she felt the Hyuuga heiress lean forward in her seat, her all-seeing eyes searching, fingers digging into the flesh above her knees, "I… I d-don't know. They're not e-even _near_ the stadium."

Above them, fireworks exploded in the distant sky as the Hokage finished his speech, and Sakura cursed softly. It was just that idiot's luck to have the first match of the finals. Already the crowd was beginning to whisper, their voices a cacophony of 'failure', 'dead-last', and 'loser'.

There was a sound of displaced air, like thunder rumbling in the distance, and she heard Hinata gasp.

All eyes turned towards the center of the arena, watching as the giant cloud of smoke billowed outwards, and from within, a webbed foot came into view, followed by another, a collective gasp shaking the arena as the older shinobi stared, an all too recognizable legend blurring into sight.

Beside him stood a boy no older than thirteen, blonde hair gleaming like spun gold, sapphire eyes glinting in the sunlight, and up in her seat, Hinata sat back with a small sigh of relief.

Uzumaki Naruto had arrived.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sending back his summon, Jiraiya jumped down from his perch, a hand settling on Naruto's shoulder. Turning towards the Hyuuga, he gave a firm squeeze, "Good luck brat, and remember what I taught you."

Naruto simply nodded once, his eyes boring into Neji's with frightening intensity.

A burst of chakra propelled him through the air, and the crowd watched, silenced, as the toad user flew above them to land in the Hokage box.

"Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama." The hermit nodded towards each leader as he landed, -the mesh of shinobi at their back bowing respectfully- before going to stand beside the Sandaime. No one was foolish enough to begrudge him the privilege.

"I see you're penchant for theatrics hasn't faded in the least." Sarutobi muttered a moment later.

Jiraiya merely shrugged, "I thought I'd show off my new student with a bang." A unconscious smile made its way across his face, and Hiruzen couldn't help but take note of the pride glinting his eyes, "After all, it's not every day one gets a new apprentice."

Sarutobi couldn't help the grin that made it across his face. He had seen those eyes on Jiraiya before, almost fourteen years prior when a familiar blonde headed student of his had been named Hokage.

History, it seemed, had a most ironic way of repeating itself.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin…" Both student and mentor turned towards their visitor, the eyes of the Kazekage gleaming the yellow-green of sulphur, "I had thought you were out of the village on more…" Here he paused, smirking, "…_personal _matters."

Jiraiya gazed back with a level stare, "I grew tired of chasing snakes through the grass." Here he shrugged, barely repressing a smirk as the dignitary narrowed his eyes.

"Besides, what could be more important than family?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Neji looked down from the Kage box, instead turning his gaze towards the rookie across from him.

He had heard -and read- of Jiraiya of the Sannin. He doubted there was a person alive, shinobi or otherwise, that _hadn't_.

Master of ninjutsu and fuinjutsu, and reputed to be the most powerful of the three, Jiraiya was the man most shinobi dreamt of becoming. But where they dreamed, he had made it reality.

There have been only a handful of shinobi in existence that could boast to stand at Jiraiya's level, fewer still that went on to surpass him. Of the most prominent had been an apprentice to the legend himself, a man who had gone on to become the Fourth Hokage.

And here he was now, back in Konoha to take on another student. Only this time, it wasn't a genius, or even a member of a renowned clan. Jiraiya had chosen _this_ street urchin of all people, a dead-last with nothing to his name.

Neji didn't know whether to feel surprised at the blonde's fortune, or lament Jiraiya-sama's misfortune at being stuck with a talentless hack.

"It doesn't matter who you tricked into training you." The Hyuuga slid into the traditional stance, knees bent, feet trenched into the ground, palms raised in front, "The moment I became your opponent, fate had decided what your future holds…" Veins bulged around his eyes, glinting blue, "…bitter defeat in front of a power you cannot oppose."

Naruto ignored him, instead opting to shrug the crimson vest off of his shoulders. It wouldn't help him here, not against Neji.

Naruto's smile was wide as ever, but his electric-blue eyes sparkled red in the sunlight, "Are you done?" The words rumbled out in a guttural growl, and Neji watched with his all-seeing eyes as the ground between them charred and cracked, "I already told you Neji, for every drop of Hinata's blood, you're going to pay tenfold."

"So talk all you want of your so called destiny." Naruto shifted on his feet, chakra, steel blue and red twisting through his coils, "Nothing, not you, not your fate, not the Hokage is going to change that."

"If you two are done…" Genma muttered, flicking the toothpick with his tongue. Both genin nodded, and after a quick glance towards the Hokage, he raised his arm, "Uzumaki Naruto verse Hyuuga Neji, begin!"

**XX AN XX**

Well, here it is. I've been stuck here for the past couple of months... Hopefully putting out at least this much and getting some feedback will help me with the rest.

And to address any future questions, Ino's always seemed to be the vain type to me.

Now for some questions that popped up:

Q - Is Naruto's doujutsu essentially an advanced form of the Sharingan's prediction capabilities in that it actually sees the future, rather than what is most likely based upon minute muscle twitches and chakra patterns?  
A - Somewhat.

Q - Will we see Sakura going DarkSide in the future?  
A - This will actually be very important for when Sasuke leaves the village.

Q - Sarutobi Sasuke?  
A - This was before we learnt the Third Hokage's real name (Hiruzen), and it was speculated that Sasuke had been named after him. Turns out to be a half-truth.

Huh, not too many this time.

Now, feel free to review with your actual Pen Name instead of an anonymous one, even if you hate my story. This way, I'll actually be able to get back to you and (hopefully) explain exactly why I did whatever it was you might have had a problem with.

In any case, until next time.


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